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THE PIONEERS OF '49. 



At last ! at last ! O steed new-born, 

Born strong of the will uf the strong New World, 
We shoot to the summit, witli the shafts of morn, 

Uf the Mount of Thunder, where clouds are curled. 
ISelow, in a splendor of sun-clad seas, 
A kiss of welcome on the warm west breeze 

Blows up with a smell of the fragrant pine. 
And a faint, sweet fragrance from far-off seas 

Comes in through the gates of the great south pass, 
And thrills the soul like a flow of wine. 

The hare leaps low in the storm-bent grass, 
The mountain ram from his cliff looks back. 
The brown deer hies to the tamarack; 
And afar to the south with a sound of the main 

Roll buffalo herds to the limitless plain. 

• 

On, on o'er the summit; and onward again. 

And down like a sea-bird the billow enshrouds. 
And down like the swallow that dips in the sea, 
We dart and we dash and we quiver, and we 
Are blowing to heaven white billows of clouds. 

The Humboldt desert and the alkaline land, 
And the seas of sage and of arid sand. 

That stretch away till the strained eye carries 
The soul where the infinite spaces fill. 

Are far in the rear, and the fair sierras 

Are under our feet, and tlie heart beats high 
And the blood comes quick ; but the lips are still 
With awe and wonder, and all the will 

Is bowed with a grandeur that frets the sky. 

A flash of lakes through the fragrant trees, 
A song of birds and a sound of bees 
Above in the boughs of the sugar pine ; 
The pickaxe stroke in the placer mine. 
The boom of blasts in the gold-ribbed hills, 

The grizzly's growl in the gorge below. 
Are dying away, and the sound of rills 

From the far-off sliimmering crest of snow; 
The laurel green and the ivied oak, 
A yellow stream and a cabin's smoke. 
The brown bent hills and the shepherd's call. 
The hills of vine and of fruits, and all 
The sweets of Eden are here, and we 
Look out and afar to a limitless sea. 

— Joaquin Miller. 




1%-^T- 




THE PIONEERS OF '49 



A HISTORY OF THE EXCURSION 



OF THE SOCIETY OF 



California Pioneers of New England 

F R O AI B O S T O N 

TO THE 

LEADING CITIES OF THE GOLDEN STATE 

April io — May 17, 1S90 

WITH REMINISCENCES AND DESCRIPTIONS 



NICHOLAS BALL 

A Director of the Society 







7. ^ 



' I hear the tread of Pioneers 

Of nations yet to be ; 
The first low wash of waves, where soon 

Shall roll a human sea." 



BOSTON 

LEE AND SHEPARD Publishers 

10 Milk Street, next "The Old South Meeting House" 
MDCCCXCI 



Copyright, 1891, ey Nicholas Ball 



THE riONEERS OF '49 



.3\S 



PRESS OF 

American Printing and Engraving Co. 
50 Arch Street, Boston 



TO THE SURVIVING FEW OF THE NOBLE BAND OF 
AND IN MEMORY OF THE MANY WHO HAVE ALREADY CROSSED THE 

"GREAT DIVIDE," 

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE FRATERNALLY INSCRIBED. 




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PREFACE. 



Throughout the journey to which the following pages relate, it was frequently 
stated that a full history of the excursion would be published. Supposing that some 
of the literary men of the party had the matter in charge, the author contented him- 
self with taking notes, and collecting newspaper articles for a scrap-book. But time 
passed, and nothing further was heard of the history ; and in October, 1890, careful 
inquiry revealed the fact that no one was engaged in writing such a book. 

Wishing to preserve a record of the most delightful excursion he ever enjoyed, the 
author then determined to prepare a type-written sketch for his own library. Others 
of the party, learning that he was at work upon such a sketch, urged him to give a 
fuller account, and publish it in pamphlet form. The pamphlet was accordingly 
begun, with the aid of Mr. Arthur W. Brown, of West Kingston, R. I.; but when the 
necessary data were collected, it was found that if but a small part of the available 
material were used, it would make a large book. 

In view of the utter impossibility of treating the subject exhaustively, it was decided 
to give a full account of all receptions ; adding thereto descriptions of points of 
especial interest along our route, and of a few men, places, buildings and institutions 
distinctively Californian, and illustrating prominent topics as far as possible. No 
attempt has been made to include everything cf importance, the intention being 
to give distinct pictures of a few things, rather than a closely crowded, and 
hence confusing, panorama ; no apology is made, therefore, for an apparent want of 
connection in certain places. To avoid repetition, topics treated in some of the 
speeches given, are not taken up separately. Stories of Indians and wild beasts are 
omitted, as they are so abundant in every library ; and a few things apparently some- 
what irrelevant are included at the wish of brother Pioneers, or because they serve 
as light or shadow for certain pictures otherwise incomplete. 

The opinions of other writers have been freely quoted, and liberal use made of 
articles m the newspapers of California, Chicago, Boston, Whitman, Mass., Plymouth, 
and Salem. Credit has been given, as a rule, except in Chapter XIII, which was 



X PREFACE. 

drawn largely from articles in the San Francisco Chronicle. Among the works con- 
sulted are, the " Popular Tribunals" of H. H. Bancroft; "California as It Is and 
Was," by Captain William H. Thomes ; " Occidental Sketches," and " The Field of 
Honor," by Major Ben. C. Truman ; the " Marvels of the New West," by William M. 
Thayer; and "The History of the Donner Party," by C. F. McGlashan, the last, I 
am told, no longer published. Statistics are taken from our itinerary and one or 
two guide-books in several instances. Acknowledgment is also made of the kind 
cooperation of various members of our party. 

No claim is made for the book as a literary production; as, amid the press' of 
other business and only because others better fitted for the work would not undertake 
it, it is written somewhat hurriedly, and simply to commemorate an event which 
could not have happened in the past, and will seldom be paralleled in the future. 
Great pains have been taken to secure accuracy on every point of importance, but it 
is still probable that mistakes will be found. For these the author can only say, by 
way of partial palliation, " To err is human," and hope that the idea embodied in the 
remainder of the familiar quotation may soften somewhat the asperity of his critics. 

Block Island, R. I., April 21, 1891. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter. 

I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 

VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 

XXII. 

XXIII. 

XXIV. 

XXV. 

XXVI. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII. 

XXIX. 

XXX. 



Organization and Departure 

Chicago — Kansas City 

Kansas — Colorado 

New Mexico — Arizona 

San Bernardino 

Riverside, Redlands, and The Raymond 

BlOCiRAPHIES of our LEADING MeN 

Pasadena : Its Hotel and Mining Camp 

In Memory of General Chapin 

Los Angeles 

San Diego and Coronado 

Sacramento and Vicinity 

California as a Whole 

San Francisco 

San Francisco Vigilance Committees 

The Leland Stanford, Jr., University 

Monterey and San Jose 

The Marshall Monument . 

A Visit to the Lick Observatory 

San Jose to Summit .... 

The Donner Party .... 

From Truckee to Salt Lake City 

Salt Lakh City 

Salt Lake City to Manitou Springs 

Manitou Springs — Denver 

Nebraska — Port Huron — Niagara 

The Home Stretch .... 

Third Annual Meeting and Banquet 

Celebration of Admission Day at San Francisco 

Surprise Party and Reunion .... 



Page. 

I 

10 

i6 

19 

28 
42 

so 

59 
68 

72 
78 

85 
loi 
114 

135 

145 
153 
167 

175 
1S3 
191 
204 

214 

227 
238 
249 
261 
264 
268 
286 



Note. — On page 85, line 26, for "by the latter," read /y/ a frie^id of the latter; also, on 
page 92, line 40, for " N. T. Dixon," read N. F. Dixon. 




The American River — especially that part of it known as the North Fork,— which may be seen from many points in the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains along the line of the Central Pacific Railroad, has few superiors in romantic scenery. There is no 
river prospect, or combined river and mountain view from a railway car that equals it in the Atlantic States. The above 
illustration represents the GIANT'S GAP, on the North Fork of the American River. Trout abound in the upper waters o£ 
this stream, and if any tourist has lost a grizzly, said bruin may in all probability be found somewhere along its banks. 

[Skb Pagb 93.] 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS, 



Nicholas Ball 

Scene on the "Eighteen-Mile Drive," Monterey 
Giant's Gap, North Fork of the American River 

Seal of California 

A Pioneer 

The Hoosac Tunnel 

Central Shaft Station, Hoosac Tunnel 

The Auditorium Hotel, Chicago 

Mississippi Bridge, Rock Island Route . 

The Montezuma Hotel, Las Vegas Hot Springs 

Burro Loaded with Wood. .... 

Old Government House at Santa Fe, erected 1600 

A Typical Mexican .... 

Pueblo Indians 

Adobe Oven 

Indian on Lookout .... 

A Vision of the Golden Country . 

Hon. George Lord, Sr. 

Vineyard in Southern California . 

Orange Grove in Southern California 

The Raymond, East Pasadena . 

Drive Along the Arroyo Seco 

Captain William H. Thomes 

Hon. B. F. Whittemore 

Pioneer Group at Hotel Raymond 

Grand Opera House, Pasadena Avenue 

Eucalyptus and Orange Groves, Near Eaton's Canon 

Placer Mining 

The Rocker 

Public Library, Pasadena Avenue . 
Live Oak, Orange Grove Avenue 
Road to the Mission .... 

The Mission 

Hotel del Coronado. Near San Diego 
The Tehachapi Loop .... 
The Crossing, Tehachapi Loop 
The Capitol, Sacramento . 
Sutter's Fort — 1849 . • ■ . 



Page. 

Frontispiece. 
VIII. 
XII. 
XY. 
XVI. 
7 
7 
13 
14 

19 

20 

21 
22 
23 
23 
26 
29 

43 
44 
46 

49 

59 
60 
62 

63 
67 

74 
11 
77 
79 

86 
86 
89 
90 



XIV 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



A Mixing Scene — 1849 .... 
Post-Office Scene — 1849 .... 
The Whitney Glacier, Mount Shasta . 

iSIouNT Shasta 

Lip of the Crater, Mount Shasta . 
Castle Crags on the Shasta Route 
A Gem of thc Sierras — Donner Lake . 

The Steamer Solano 

The Palace Hotel, San Francisco 
Palace Hotel From Montgomery Street 
The Court, Palace Hotel 
Upper Corridor, Palace Hotel 

At The Cliff House 

The Golden Gate 

The Bay from Russian Hill, San Francisco 

Goat Island 

Bird's-Eye View of San Francisco 

The Chinese Quarter 

v. S. Steamer Charleston 

The Dog Guarding the Safe 

Valley Fruit Lands, California 

Canon Fruit Lands, California 

California Oranges 

Stanford Vineyard, \'ina Ranch 

Drying Raisins, California 

Ranch of A. L. Hatch, Suison 

Leland Stanford 

Bird's-Eye \'ie\v of Hotel del Monte, Monterey 

A Bouquet of Beauties 

Santa Anita Club House, San Gabriel 

Bathing Pavilion and Beach, Hotel del Monte 

Statue of James W. Marshall 

The Summit, .Mount Hamilton 

Lick Observatory, Mount Hamilton 

Smith's Creek, Mount Hamilton 

The Coast Range 

Hotel Vendome, San Jose 

Mirror Lake, Yosemite Valley 

The Yosemite Falls 

Half Do.me and Merced Group 

El Capitan 

Merced River and Glacier Point 

Rounding Cape Horn . 

General View of Donner Lake 

Encountering the Blizzard 

Leaving the Weak to Die 

The Mormon Temple, Tabernacle, and Assembly Hall 



Page 

93 
94 

[04 

104 

104 
[04 



10; 



13 



15 



8}< 
15 
17 
17 
17 
17 
19 
19 

19 
19 

22 

27 

38 
[48 

!4S 

[48 

48 

48 

48 

'>< 

54 

'57 

r6o 

164 

[71 
176 
76 
[76 
76 
r8i 
[8+ 

[84 
[S+ 

[84 
[89 

[92 

196 

200 

215 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



XV 



The Great Salt Lake 

Castle Gate 

Chippeta Falls in the Black Caxox 

The Currecaxti Needle 

Marshall Pass, Western Slope .... 
The Roval Gorge ....*... 

MOI'NT OF THE HOLY CrOSS 

Lndian Storehouses 

Maxitou Sprixgs axd Pike's Peak .... 
Pike's Peak Railway through Hell Gate . 

The Mountain Climber 

In Cheyexne Canon 

Gateway to the Garden of the Gods . 

Balanced Rock 

Maxitou Graxd Caverxs 

The Grand Organ 

Entrance to the Cave of the Winds 

Palmer Lake 

Railroad Station at Council Bluffs 
Niagara Falls — West Shore Railway Route 
Suspension Bridge — Grand Trunk Railway Route 

Sutter's Mill 

The Welcome Arch, Sept. 9, 1890 .... 
Float of California Parlor No. i ... 
Float of Rincon Parlor No. 72 ... . 
San Francisco — 1849 



Page. 
218 
228 
230 
231 

235 
236 

237 

239 
240 

241 

242 

243 

244 

244 

245 

246 

247 

256 
259. 
265 
269 
272 
276 
283 




SEAL OF CALIFORNIA. 




A PIONEER. 



PIONEERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER I. 



ORGANIZATION AND DEPARTURE. 

" Up, men ! " he cried, " yon rocky cone, 
To-day, please God, we '11 pass, 
And look from winter's frozen tlirone 
On summer's flowers and grass! " 

— Whittier. 



T 



^HE first meeting and organization of the Society of California Pioneers of New England 
was held and effected June 29, 1888, at the Point of Pines, where a full board of officers 
was chosen, and seventy-four applications for membership favorably acted upon. 
Since that time, meetings have been held nearly every month, at the Crawford House, Boston, 
where the business of the society has been carefully and thoroughly legislated upon. 

The first annual reunion and banquet was given at the Revere House, Boston, Sept. 9, 1888, 
where 150 members, with distinguished invited guests, participated in good cheer and social 
festivities. The entire membership at that time was 223. 

The second year was one of gratifying growth, as eighty names were added to the roll of 

membership. 

The second annual reunion and banquet was given at Odd Fellows Hall, Boston, Sept. 9, 
1889. After an interesting and spirited meeting, at which all the necessary and unfinished 
business of the year was transacted, an election of officers for the ensuing year was held. 

At 3.45 P. M. the members, with the invited guests to the number of 200, were escorted to 
the dining-room, cheered by the enlivening music of Thomas' Orchestra, where for five hours 
a-most excellent dinner and post-prandial exercises were enjoyed. 

President Wm. H. Thomes, always abounding in historic and graphic incidents, as well as 
personal experiences and generous impulses, opened the intellectual feast, and proved himself 
an able as well as entertaining presiding officer. 

In reply to a letter from the noble old hero. General William Tecumseh Sherman, which called 
forth great enthusiasm, General Samuel A. Chapin eloquently pictured many of the scenes of 
the march from Atlanta to the Sea, and rose to his most exalted and patriotic periods until the 
Pioneers were stirred with the ardor of his nature, which culminated in the wildest hurrahs. 

Telegrams from the San Francisco Pioneers, full of friendly greetings and fraternal profes- 
sions elicited from Judge Henry J. Wells one of the most humorous yet impressive efforts, 
full of wit, pathos, incident, history, and anecdote, which no one knows so well as he how to 
weave into webs of ornate thought and utterance. 



2 PIO^'EEES OF '49. 

Letters from the officers of the New York society, conveying regrets at their inability to be 
present, with renewed expressions of good will, were read by the secretary. Ex-Senator John 
Conness, one of our most valuable members, was called upon to respond to the sentiments of 
our New York comrades; and for a full hour we were charmed with an address unexcelled in 
the beauty of its diction, the forcibleness of its propositions, the fire of its inspiration, and 
the captivating qualities of its perorations: so replete was it with what the old Pioneers 
remembered, so full of the recital of many of their own experiences, that their enthusiasm 
reached its highest point, and, as the senator seated himself, forgetting the scores of years 
etched upon the calendar of their lives, they rose to their feet and cheered with the strength 
and lustiness of youth. 

A communication from the president of the Sacramento Pioneer Society was read and fit- 
tingly replied to by Secretary Whittemore. 

The press, always liberal in its notices of our meetings, purposes, and growth, and to 
whose representatives we had extended a liberal invitation to our banquet, through Henry 
O'Meara, of the Journal^ spoke in the most encouraging and flattering manner of our 
organization. 

Rhode Island, at this juncture, asserted her right to be heard through comrade James 
Burdick, who gave us one of the most racy, side-splitting speeches for which he is an adept, 
illustrating the life and genius of the typical Yankee, ready for any adventure, rich in 
expedients, a jack-of-all-trades and professions, as miner, merchant, justice, writing and 
dancing master, hydraulic engineer, photographer, — anything to turn an "honest penny or 
nimble sixpence." 

Editor Walton, of the ?>7!\tvi\ Register — than whom no man is more in sympathy with the 
men of '49 — was invited to address the Pioneers. After a few well-timed and felicitous 
remarks indicative of his earnest interest for and in the society, he read a letter from James C. 
Kemp, a resident of San Francisco and formerly of Salem, denying certain published 
slanderous statements relative to the character of those who were among the first of the 
Pioneers to California. 

Comrade Mclntire, of Boston, closed the intellectual repast with congratulatory sentiments, 
after which the singing of " Auld Lang Syne " ended the second annual banquet of the 
society, — a success in the fullest sense, a delight to all who were present, and an occasion 
long to be remembered. 

The above, slightly abridged from the record, gives a fair idea of the enthusiasm manifested 
from the start. At a meeting in the summer of 1S89 it was resolved, " That it is expedient 
to recommend to the members of the society, at its annual meeting, September 9, the proposed 
excursion to California, a trip of from thirty-five to forty days, beginning Thursday, April 10, 
1890, and that the president be authorized to consult with Messrs. Raymond & Whitcomb, 
and obtain their statement of the expense of the trip, and prepare a circular for distribution 
to members ; and, if a sufficient number desire to go, to make all necessary arrangements." 

The writer joined the society Feb. i, 1890, and was made a director. 

After the subject and prospect of an excursion to California in the early spring of 1890 had 
been presented to, considered and approved by, the members. President Thomes, with his 
usual earnestness and determined energy, began at once initial efforts towards interesting and 
securing subscribers for the trip across the continent, and a visit to the old mining-camps of 
'49. He wrote nearly 400 letters, sent many telegrams, wrote interesting items to papers in 
Boston, New York, Chicago, and various cities of California, and on each secular day for six 
weeks was at Raymond & Whitcomb's office, to answer questions and do other necessary 



KAMES OF THE FARTY. 3 

work. Many were the obstacles to overcome and hindrances in the way of the success of the 
enterprise ; but, in spite of every discouraging feature of the work, it is but justice to say that 
to the constant, unremitting toil and untiring exertions of President Thomes is due the fact that, 
on the loth of April, 1890, a vestibule train, the heaviest and longest that ever crossed the 
continent, under the skilled management of Raymond & Whitcomb's agents, was loading at 
the Fitchburg Railroad station with the Pioneers, their wives, sons, and daughters, to the num- 
ber of eighty -four, with sixty-five additional friends, aggregating a party of 149, sixty-nine of 
whom were ladies. 

Others joined us at stations on the route. The names of those who, with but one or two 
exceptions, made the round trip from their homes, are D. C. Allen, Leominster, Mass .; Dan- 
iel B. Allen, Mrs. Daniel B. Allen, Miss Jennie B. Allen, New Bedford, Mass. ; Alfred Bailey, 
Cambridgeport, Mass.; Nicholas Ball, Mrs. Nicholas Ball, Block Island, R. I.; William 
Cyrus Barker, Mrs. William Cyrus Barker, Providence; Earl S. Binford, Pawtucket, R. I.; 
D. S. Boynton, Mrs. D. S. Boynton, Lynn, Mass.; Mrs. Mary E. Brannan, Roxbury, Mass.; 
Mrs. Calvin Bridgman, Belchertown, Mass.; William H. Browne, Boston; Miss Hannah E. 
Burke, Beverly, Mass. ; E. O. Carpenter, Miss Fannie Carpenter, New York ; Gen. Samuel 
A. Chapin, Norton, Mass; Samuel A. Chapin, Jr., New York; Miss Alice R. Clark, Daniel 

A. Clark, Mrs. Daniel A. Clarke, Pawtucket, R. L; E. W. Colcord, Mrs. E. W. Colcord, Law- 
rence, Mass. ; Dr. Preston Day, Warren, R. L ; W. S. Dickson, Salem, Mass. ; Charles A. Dole, 
Mrs. Charles A. Dole, East Somerville, Mass.; Charles H. Fifield, Mrs. Charles H. Fifield, 
Salem; S. W. Foster, Mrs. S. W. Foster, Boston; E. B. Gardner, Mrs. E. B. Gardner, Miss 
Mary A. Gardner, Fall River ; William H. Garfield, Mrs. William H. Garfield, Boston ; Miss 
Flora M. Gleason, L. W. Gleason, Mrs. L. W. Gleason, Everett, Mass.; Isaiah Graves, Lynn; 
Capt. David H. Hall, Mrs. David H. Hall, Boston; S. A. Hall, Revere, Mass.; Frederic C. 
Hanson, Charlestown, Mass.; R. Harrington, Salem, Mass.; Rev. L. B. Hatch, Mrs. L. B. 
Hatch, Whitman, Mass. ; M. Houghton, Concord, Mass. ; Charles A. Jordan, Newton, Mass.; 
Mrs. W. E. Keith, San Jose, Cal. ; Charles M. Laighton, Paul Laighton, Portsmouth, N. H.; 
George W. Lewis, Lynn; J. B. Luther, San Francisco; Caleb W. Marsh, Mrs. Caleb W. 
Marsh, Lynn ; James D. McAvoy, Mrs. James D. McAvoy, Miss Nellie L. McAvoy, Read- 
ville, Mass.; R. H. McLauthlin, East Boston; F. B. Mower, S. P. Newhall, Lynn; Dr. V. L. 
Owen, Springfield; Hon. Frederick Pease, East Boston; W. H. Pierce, Lynn; Mrs. J. R. 
Poore, East Somerville; A. H. Richardson, Mrs. A. H. Richardson, Hyde Park, Mass.; E. 

B. Stetson, Miss G. M. Stetson, Charlestown, Mass.; Charles T. Stumcke, Boston; 
Benj. Sprague, Mrs. Benj. Sprague, Lynn; Mrs. R. R. Taylor, Greenfield, Mass.; Capt. 
William H. Thomes, Mrs. William H. Thomes, Boston; J. Thompson, Mrs. J. Thompson, 
North Woburn, Mass. ; T. C. Upton, Fitchburg, Mass. ; Miss A. M. Wadsworth, Capt. E. D. 
Wadsworth, Mrs. E. D. Wadsworth, Milton, Mass.; Mrs. E. B. Wadsworth, Boston; Mrs. 
Clara M. Waite, Charlestown, Mass.; John E. Whitcomb, Waltham, Mass.; Mrs. William 
Whittaker, Providence ; Hon. B. F. Whittemore, Boston ; Capt. Francis Willis, Mrs. Francis 
Willis, Block Island, R. I.; Benjamin Wilson, Mrs. Benjamin Wilson, Rumford, R. I, 

GUESTS. 

Hon. William Barnsdall, Titusville, Pa. ; Mrs. Abbie M. Chaffee, East Providence ; Miss 
Abbie S. Dexter, Providence; Miss Alice S. Dexter, Miss E. W. Dexter, Mrs. Sarah E. Dex- 
ter, East Providence ; W. B. Fisher, New Bedford ; John Fox, Boston ; D. B. Gurney, Whitman, 
Mass.; Frank M. Hammond, Clinton, Mass.; Mrs. S. H. Higbee, Salem, Mass.; F. E. Kim- 
ball, Mrs. F. E. Kimball, Worcester; Mrs. Mary Langmaid, Somerville, Mass.; J. E. Leach, 



4 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 

Boston; Rev. P. M. Macdonald, Boston; Miss E. G. Marble, Arlington, Mass.; Albert Met- 
calf, Mrs. Albert Metcalf, Miss M. P. Metcalf, West Newton, Mass.; Hon. Henry B. Met- 
calf, Mrs. Henry B. Metcalf, Pawtucket, R. I.; Prof. Thomas Metcalf, Mrs. Thomas Metcalf, 
Normal, 111.; S. Mitchell, Campello, Mass.; J. F. Nickerson, Mrs. J. F. Nickerson, Somer- 
ville, Mass. ; James Parker, Cleveland ; Manson Perkins, Mrs. Manson Perkins, La Moille, 
111.; Mrs. Avery Plumer, Boston; Henry Reed, Mrs. Washington Reed, Rockland, Mass.; 
Peter B. Reid, Mrs. Peter B. Reid, Friendship, N. Y. ; John B. Richardson, Lowell, Mass.; 
Mrs. H. N. Rowell, Mrs. F. A. Ressegue, Boston; Mrs. Mary Ressegue, Franklin, Mass.; 
John Russell, Boston; Edward Seaver, Roxbury, Mass.; Harry Shapleigh, Salem, Mass.; 
Mrs. Achsah Shaw, Miss Cordelia Shaw, Rockland, Mass.; L. W. Sherman, Mrs. L. W. 
Sherman, Boston; N. Shoemaker, Philadelphia; O. Simonds, Mrs. O. Simonds, Belmont, 
Mass.; Mrs. John P. Squire, Arlington, Mass.; S. E. Vaughan, Mrs. S. E. Vaughan, Maiden, 
Mass.; Miss R. L. Videtto, Boston; J. H. Watson, Mrs. J. H. Watson, Miss M. E. Watson, 
Brooklyn; Miss Amy A. Whipple, Central Falls, R. I.; Mrs. J. E. Wilson, Chicago. 

The list of officers is appended: Wm. H. Thomes, Boston, president; Charles A. Dole, 
East Somerville, Mass., first vice-president and corresponding secretary; Richard Harring- 
ton, Salem, second vice-president; Josiah Hayward, Boston, treasurer; Benj. F. Whittemore, 
Boston, secretary. The directors were Henry J. Wells, Cambridge, Mass. ; Chas. T. 
Stumcke, Boston; Nicholas Ball, Block Island, R. I.; Chas. H. Fifield, Salem; John 
Conness, Mattapan, Mass.; F. B. Mower, Lynn; Edwin D. Wadsworth, Milton, Mass.; 
Elias J. Hale, Foxcroft, Me.; Fred'k Pease, East Boston; Roscoe G. Smith, Cornish, Me.; 
John C. Gleason, East Warren, Vt. 

Mrs. Ball and myself had followed implicitly the suggestions of Raymond & Whitcomb as 
to clothing and other preparations, so we were free from anxiety, and had ample time to look 
about us. Our solid vestibuled train of Pullman palace cars consisted of a baggage car, in 
charge of Charles O. Perkins, of Ashland, N. H.; the combination coach " Capitano," in 
charge of J. E. Norton; the dining-car '• Iturbide," under the direction of W. G. Tucker; the 
dining-car "Alhambra," under J. H. Neuce; and the sleeping-cars "Allende," " Etruria," 
"Eurasia," " Monroeville," " Servia," and "Thracia," managed by F. R. Barker. F. E. Ayer, 
of Boston, was in charge of the party, assisted by Charles L. Robinson, of Ashland, N. H., 
and by H. P. Kent as far as Chicago. The composite car contained a library, barber's chair, 
bathroom, and smoking-compartment. The Boston papers called it the most thoroughly 
equipped train that ever left that city, and longer and heavier than any that had crossed the 
continent at that time. 

Fully 2,000 friends were there to examine the rolling palaces which were to be our 
homes so long, to decorate our rooms with flowers, and say the sweet good-by. 

One of the most amusing farewells we witnessed was that given by a delegation of twenty- 
five members of the " Tortoise Shell Club " of Boston to their president, John Russell, whom 
they joked, congratulated, and made speeches to, to their hearts' content; and then, bearing 
him aloft upon their shoulders, they marched triumphantly into the " Monroeville," and com- 
mended him to the kind care of those on board. 

Just at four o'clock the final signal was given, the hand-shake and the kiss ; then, as the 
magnificent train rolled away, bearing' our pilgrim Argonauts towards the golden shores of 
the Pacific, there rose from the crowd of comrades, sorry to be left behind, and from the well- 
wishers, who covered not only the platforms but the bridge as well, a ringing send-off, which 
made even the iron horse, coughing and tugging with his heavy load, more vigorous and 
determined. The sky had been overcast, giving to our departure a tinge of gloom; but we 



PIOMEERS AMD PILGRIM!^. 5 

had hardly lost sight of the State House dome and old Bunker Hill, when the clouds lifted 
and parted, and the sun poured his glorious light upon many a snug farm, many a historic hill 
and plain, and on village after village that gave evidence in a thousand ways of New England 
piety, culture and thrift. Every feeling of sadness vanished, and as the day died among the 
beautiful hills of central and western Massachusetts, our thoughts and conversation turned to 
the glorious sunset land towards which we were hastening, surrounded by all the luxuries of 
modern travel, in such strange contrast with the slow, toilsome, and perilous voyages or 
marches of but a little more than two score years ago. 

Our forefathers had settled the land we were leaving, as Pilgrims and Puritans, but neither 
they nor their immediate descendants had been permitted to see the wonderful results of 
their labors and privations; while to many of our party, who had been members of the 
Pioneer band that settled the golden slopes of California, our journey promised an extended 
view of the scenes of our early struggles and adventures, but transformed almost into fairy 
land by the magical touch of civilization. The majority of the men of '49 left their bones on 
those far western hills, and of those who returned, many have long since been gathered to 
their fathers. But here were we, some of us nearly a score of years on this side of the allotted 
limit of life, bound for the El Dorado of our youth, the land that has disbursed from her 
strong vaults more than a thousand millions of dollars, and still holds deposits whose value 
never has been and probably never will be correctly estimated; while her fields, her groves, 
her orchards, and her vineyards make her far more worthy than Sicily of old of the proud 
title of "the garden and granary of the world." "A thousand years scarce serve to form a 
State" was true enough, perhaps, in the old world, before Byron's day; but American 
political life is far more intense, political growth more rapid. Even the word "growth" seems 
too slow for California; for she sprang, Minerva-like, from the head of self-governing power, 
fully armed and apparently mature in years and wisdom. How the memories came trooping 
through our minds, and how we looked forward to one more glimpse of the old localities! 
We were Pioneers again, and how we all joined in the chorus as a lady of our party sang: — 

THE SONG OF THE FORTY-NINERS. 

Ho ! FOR California ! {Boatmen Dance.) 

We have formed our band, and are all well man'd, 

To journey afar to a promised land, 
Where the golden ore is rich in store, 

On the banks of the Sacramento shore. 

CHORUS. 
Then ho ! boys, ho! to California go, 

For the mountains bold are covered with gold, 
'Long the banks of the Sacramento ; 

Heigh-ho I away we go, 
Digging up gold in the Francisco. 

Heigh-ho ! away we go, 
Digging up gold in Francisco. 

O, the gold is thar' most anywhar', 

And they dig it out rich with an iron bar; 
And where 't is thick, with a spade or pick, 

They 've taken out lumps as heavy as brick. 
Then ho ! etc. 



6 PIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 

O, don't you cry, nor heave a sigh, 

For we '11 all come back again bye and bye ; 
Don't breathe one fear, nor shed one tear, 

But patiently wait for about two year. 
Then ho ! etc. 

We expect our share of the coarsest fare. 

And sometimes sleep in the open air ; 
Upon the cold ground we shall all sleep sound, 

Except when the wolves come howling round. 

Then ho ! etc. 

As off we roam o'er the dark sea foam, 

We '11 ne'er forget dear friends at home ; 
But memory kind will bring to mind 

The thoughts of those we 've left behind. 
Then ho ! etc. 

In the days of old, the prophets told 

Of the city to come, all paved with gold ; 
Peradventure they foresaw the day 

Now dawning upon California. 
Then ho ! etc. 

Our wandering thoughts were instantly recalled to things about us at about half-past nine, 
when we entered the Hoosac Tunnel, brilliantly lighted by electricity throughout its entire 
length of five miles ; and when, a quarter of an hour later, we halted in beautiful North Adams, 
by general consent we retired, those unused to travel watching to see how the others 
manoeuvred. 

At seven o'clock next morning came the first call for breakfast. E. O. Carpenter started 
" The Morning Light is Breaking," which was caught up and rolled through the train. All 
must and did get up, when conversation grew animated about plans for the day. There was 
no lack of fun, in which all joined — the young and the old. Old? There were no old ones in 
the party. One corner of the " Etruria " was especially jolly, as, indeed, it was throughout 
the trip when Richard Harrington was in. "Harrington's Corner" became famous with our 
party. 

Snow covered the ground, to our surprise, but the sun was shining brightly as we rolled into 
Syracuse, where we halted half an hour. Workmen were sliding back hundreds of protecting 
roofs from huge pans of brine exposed for evaporation. We were told that some of the best 
brine is obtained by sinking pipes down through the fresh water of Onondaga Lake, and through 
the bottom for many feet into a subterranean salt lake, which is perhaps a remnant of the 
ocean which formerly covered the country. The men gathered in the smoking-room, where 
we got acquainted and indulged in social chat concerning the days of '49, when we went hunt- 
ing for the glittering gold which proved only a glittering generality to so many. The forenoon 
was passed in learning where each one was located, and in telling reminiscences of minino- 
life, of adventures, and of the fun that lightened toil and hardship. 

In a newspaper letter Captain Thomes gives a pretty fair idea of what the older members 
of the party thought and felt : — 

" A few old travelers like myself overlooked the passengers, mentally pronounced them all 
nice people, and then retired to the smoking-room, and thought of the first time I visited 



TRAVEL THEJf AMD .WOW. 



California, in 1843, as a sailor boy on board of the ship Admittance, of Boston. I never 
expected to cross tlie continent in special trains and sleeping-cars in those days; but it is 

'ilir;"*^iliHuy^'w?'e«^ 




COPTfilCHTSa I8a9 



such luxurious traveling that I prefer car riding to being driven around the deck, off Cape 
Horn, in a stiff gale of wind, a foot of ice and snow on the jilanks, and the sails frozen as hard 
as boards, and the captain and officers yelling themselves hoarse endeavoring to make us 



8 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

poor boys understand that we had not gone to sea for fun. In the cars I make the porters 
work, while I sit still, and look out of the windows, and read when I feel like it or answer 
questions from fellow-passengers about. California; for this is my sixth visit to the Golden 
State — twice around the cape, and four times overland." 

New scenes momentarily greet the watchful eye; long stretches of the country as God 
made it, interspersed by the towns and cities made by man. About noon we halted fifteen 
minutes at Buffalo, and a little later crossed the Niagara River just above the Whirlpool 
Rapids, even more wonderful than the falls of which we just catch glimpses, as we steam 
slowly over the wide Suspension Bridge, some two miles below. Thus far we had traveled 
only on United States railroads, — the Fitchburg to Rotterdam Junction and the West Shore 
thence to the Suspension Bridge, — and people, houses, and things generally are very similar 
to what we are accustomed to see at home. But no sooner do we enter Canada than we 
notice an absence of New England thrift, energy, and culture. Even when we meet a New 
Ent^land settler, we see at once that he does not live as at home; something indefinable in his 
environment seems to keep him from developing all his powers. We start at 3.20 p. m. on the 
Grand Trunk line, through a fertile land, with large orchards of pears, peaches, and apples 
neatly laid out. We reach Port Huron at eight o'clock; but our train has to be ferried across 
the St. Clair River, and an unusual rush of business keeps the boat busy until 11.00. We 
improved the time, however, in looking about us, in setting our watches back one hour, and 
in discussions of the reasons for changing from Eastern standard or 75th meridian time to 
Central standard or 90th meridian. As I understand it, a person going round the earth, to the 
east or west, would seem to gain or lose, respectively, one day, or twenty-four hours. In 
passing over one twenty-fourth of this distance, which by sailors is reckoned as 360 degrees, 
he would seem to gain or lose one hour; that is, one hour for every 15 degrees. When no 
account was taken of this by navigators, some very odd mistakes arose, as in one of Poe's 
tales, wherein a certain obstinate man promised his daughter of fifteen to her lover, when 
iJirce Sundays should come together in a week, and not //// then. The very next Sunday a 
visitor, Captain Pratt, who had just returned from a voyage around the world by way of Cape 
Horn, objected to accepting an invitation to a whist party for the morrow on the ground that 
it would be Sunday. Kate interposed, "■To-day's Sunday." Whereupon another visitor. 
Captain Smitherton, who had just got home from circumnavigating the globe by way of the 
Cape of Good Hope, exclaimed: "What are you all thinking about? V\[?i5 n't yesterday 
Sunday, I should like to know?" Explanations followed, but Kate made her father see the 
point of three Sundays in a row, and the wedding was attended by all present. 

As sailors were the only ones who experienced much annoyance from this difference, and 
they only on long voyages, they informally agreed upon a somewhat irregular "date-line," 
in crossing which a day was to be added or subtracted, according to direction, and located 
this line in the Pacific Ocean east of Asia, as much out of the way as possible, so as to 
occasion no trouble to the great majority of sailors. With the building of railroads, which 
extend east and west in this country, as a rule, this difference in time, which of course for small 
distances was reduced to minutes and seconds, caused serious annoyance in arranging train 
schedules, and was a constant menace of collisions. So the present system was adopted, and 
at every fifteenth meridian an hour is subtracted, moving west, and added in the opposite direc- 
tion. If this is not done, watches will disagree by hours instead of by minutes, as formerly. 

After waiting three weary hours, we were all in a frame of mind to have duly appreciated 
the tunnel, then nearly completed, through which trains now move without any of the vexatious 
delays which formerly made Port Huron notorious rather than famous. 



PORT HUROJf TO CHICAGO. 9 

Our ferry-boat was a propeller with two large engines, fifty-foot beam, and took half our 
train at a time, with a load of cattle back each time. However, we are in our own country 
once more, and sleep contentedly. 

Mornin- dawns warm and clear as we rattle along the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway, 
where all the milestones give the distance to Chicago. All the trains we meet or see are 
from that city, or bound thither ; and, as all roads once led to Rome, so here, for hundreds of 
miles, the iron ways all tend to Chicago. Out on the broad prairies we pass through enter- 
prising towns and cities, and, when we ask where we are, are invariably told the distance irom 
Chicago. Great, indeed, is this Queen City of the Plains ! 




10 PIOJ\''EEI{S OF '49. 



CHAPTER II. 



CHICAGO — KANSAS CITY. 



Not many generations ago, where you now sit, encircled with all that exalts and embellishes civil- 
ized life, the rank thistle nodded in the wind, and the wild fox dug his hole unscared. Here lived and 
loved another race of beings. 

— Charles Sprague. 

FROM a long article in the Snndsiy Inter-ocean of April 13, I select the following: "A 
delegation had been appointed to ride forth into the East at break of day to meet tlie 
incoming train somewhere, give their brothers the grip, and escort them into camp with colors 
flying." 

The first clause was carried out to the letter. The gray tint of dawn still hung over the 
earth when an even dozen of delegates and twelve pumpkin-colored badges the size of an office 
towel appeared at the Dearborn street station. 

Some of the delegates had arisen from slumber at two o'clock in the morning, and rode in 
on night cars to join the welcoming throng. With a bosom swelling with fraternal solicitude, 
Mr. Davis W. Miller had jumped out of bed and wrapped a wet towel around an alarm clock 
that was ripping the woodwork off his mantel at 2.34 o'clock. He then put on his best clothes 
with unseemly haste, and rode breathlessly up town in a fleet State street horse car. Secre- 
tary Charles P. Jackson had neglected to go to bed at all. Mr. William N. Belt had done up 
his hair in papers the night before, and would not lie down for fear he would muss the curls. 
Mr. Camden Knight slept peacefully in a chartered cab in front of the depot, having paid the 
driver a dollar to awake him an hour before daylight. 

So that when Conductor Bowen stalked into the waiting special car, wondering why no Cali- 
fornia Pioneers of the vintage of '49 and spring of '50 had appeared, he found Jeven spectres 
with yellow labels bunched in the ghostly light, and listening to the impassioned utterance of 
J. M. Hutchings, of the Yosemite valley. 

" And the same Jim Layman was working in his strawberry patch one day when he found 
the dainty print of a woman's foot in the dirt. Well, sir, he took a shingle and covered it all 
up nicely, and he used to go out there — that was in '50 — and take a squint at it every day. 
It seemed to do him good, he said. Three years later he " 

Just then there were some new arrivals, after which Conductor Bowen swung his lantern 
and yelled " aw-la-bode." The new arrivals were ladies, wives and daughters of the 
Argonauts. When the train stopped at Twenty-second street, the door opened^'and a yellow 
badge about the size of a shingle blew in. Just behind it was a tall man with a <rrav beard 
It was Mr. Addison Ballard. "' 

" Thirteen, by ginger ! " exclaimed Mr. George B. Custer, who will not walk under a ladder 
or even open his umbrella in church. 

The pall of gloom produced by Mr. Custer's observation soon faded under Mr. Hutchings' 
magic spell. He plunged into the sea of the past, and dragged out pearls of recollection. H 



e 



RECEPTIOJ^ AT CHICAGO. 11 

was the first man who ever wrote anything describing the Yosemite ; he was the first man 
to locate in the valley ; he had lived there twenty-five years or more, the acknowledged 
Columbus of the Yosemite. 

" I did n't really discover it," said Mr. Hutchings. " Captain Bolin or Major Savage did 
that before me, but they paid no attention to it." 

And then the hum grew fiercer ; it was a knot of men talking about a subject that never 
grows old, that is always alive with interest — one of the themes of early days invested with a 
genuine sentiment. The old stories of Placerville — one time Hangtown, where five of the 
party were neighbors — took on a livelier color than ever before. Some one told an episode of 
Hangtown that never could have happened outside of California. The Hangtown cemetery 
was high on a foothill. Once there was a sturdy miner who was told that he would die before 
morning. He believed it. His partner went to his bedside and said, "Jim, we're pretty poor, 
ye know, and can't afford a hearse and such fixings. What do you say to walking as far as 
you can to-night up the slope ? I '11 tote ye the rest of the way after ye 're dead." The man 
got mad and refused to die. 

Thus ran dozens of stories of the land where James W. Marshall one day, without any 
previous academic training, kicked a nugget of gold out of the red soil with his cowhide boot. 
At last a vision of a stretch of grass in soak, a rim of houses on the horizon, a tall car-shop 
chimney — Elsdon. The party hurried eagerly up the platform, as the locomotive, especially 
engaged, steamed into the distance. Mr. Charles P. Jackson, secretary of the Western 
Association of California Pioneers, disappeared in the station. The next moment he returned 
with the expression of a man who has inadvertently swallowed a paper of tacks. 

" Boys," he said, "that train is four hours late." 

"Boys, what'U we do?" inquired Mr. Hutchings. 

" Play ball," suggested C. E. Gifford, who was rounding Cape Horn before you, gentle 
reader, were born. 

"Or three-card monte," said Camden Knight, "Wasn't that the California game.'"' 

" It is more to the point," observed Mr. Gifford, "to ask what was not the California game." 

But the four hours passed somehow, and then the train of people bound from ocean to ocean 
whirled in, the welcomers were whisked aboard, and the procession moved on. There was a 
mingling of purple and red and yellow badges, and a great rustling as of some one shaking a 
California chestnut tree. Then a portly man, with a white moustache and goatee, was standing 
in a flutter of yellow. It was Captain William H. Thomes, President of the New England 
Association. The situation was explained to him. The programme could not be carried out 
as arranged. It would have to be a sort of touch and go. But the New Englanders would, 
nevertheless, have a chance to see the Auditorium, and have a little gathering of the clans at 
the Grand Pacific. "We arranged it there," explained Secretary Jackson, " so your sluice 
would n't be far from your diggings." 

" What are in those sluices .'' " inquired President Thomes, with a deep significance. 

" Water," replied the Secretary, — " from Kentucky." 

" Let the procession move on," cried those men from Massachusetts. 

It was a gay crowd, those 150 people who were four hours late. They had seen enough 
hardship at one time in their lives to know a good thing when they saw it. There was any 
number of pretty women and handsome men, and among all the latter there were not a dozen 
who were not gray-bearded. The California Pioneers and gray whiskers walk hand in hand. 
Mr. William H. Browne, the patriarch of the crowd, had enough whiskers for three or four. 
Every one called him " Grandpa." 



12 PIONEERS OF '49. 

No time was to be lost when the train pulled in. There were just two hours to spend in a 
-l.vce that demands a month to realize its perfection. There was but one choice in such cir- 
cumstances—the Auditorium. To that streamed the visitors, headed by the Chicacroans. 
The Easterners were taken into the Auditorium proper and the lights flashed on. Then they 
sat down and admired. They were still glued to their seats when President Ellis rushed in 
ten minutes later and cried that there was no time to lose. Then some of the visitors exam- 
ined the hotel, and some shot up the elevators to the top of the tower. By two o'clock the 
procession with the parti-colored labels was headed for the Grand Pacific. The ladies rested 
in the parlor, and the men moved to Room 4. There was a circular table, with a neat dt&x^n 
in wine glasses around the edge, and decorated in a highly appropriate manner in the centre.* 

Then Secretary Jackson made a neat little speech of welcome, and Captain Thomes made 
a happy rejoinder. 

"We have seen the Auditorium," he said, "and you can have our money. Meet us with the 
World's Fair subscription books at Blue Island on our return." It was good, he said, for the 
old timers to get together; it warmed the cockles of the heart. 

Then the Hon. B. F. Whittemore, the secretary of the Boston party, said a few words, and 
Mr. George S. Custer said a few words, and pretty nearly everybody else said a few words. 
President J. Ward EUis made one of those speeches that are little, but big for its size and 
everybody cheered. Thanks were tendered to the hotel, the Auditorium management and 
the Grand Trunk Railroad. '^ 

There was but one drawback — that was a lack of time to shake the California story tree 
It was biff-slam-bang, a word and a hand-shake and a laugh, and the depot platform was a-ain 
crowded with gray beards and bald heads. You could see that the heads were bald when^he 
owners took their hats off to cheer. And before three o'clock the party was a-ain rushing 
toward the Pacific. ' '^ ° 

The cordiality of this our first welcome was a genuine surprise; we had expected to shake 
hands with a few Pioneers and exchange courtesies, but not to be made such lions of If time 
had permitted, they would have loaded us, apparently, with kind attentions. It was a -emiine 
Chicago greeting, and worthy of that wonderful city, the great slaughter pen of the o-rea? West- 
the business emporium of the rivers, railroads, farms, towns, and cities of, perhaps*' the laro-est 
tributary commercial empire on earth. As we rolled in past enormous storehouses for o-rain 
and freight of every kind, viewing innumerable rails of steel which stretch outward to aS the 
cities of our continent, we were deeply impressed with the present and still greater prospective 
grandeur of this young but wonderfully developed metropolis, which some of our party could 
remember as a small collection of huts on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is -4% miles Ion- 
14K miles wide, covers an area of 175 square miles, and is a most extravagant city whe?e 
expenditures are little counted, where the people build just what they want, decorate without 
regard to cost, and knock and the world's great exhibition comes to them 

Nor was the welcome simply that of the heartfelt outpouring of our Pioneer brethren 

"", Lm;.^'"^'''^'"^ ^'■''"''' """■' ^^'^'^' '''^^' ^'^g''^"^ turn-outs for elaborate drives ; and even 
genial William II. Jones, for many years at the head of the Ocean View Hotel livery waUed 
tor us from 6.00 a. m. until noon with a fine ])arouche, but left for dinner and so missed us" 
_ The Auditorium is the most massive hotel structure in the world, built entirely of stone and 
iron, ten stories high, and having frontages east, south, and west, aggregatin<^ 710 feet on 
three streets. This building is absolutely fireproof, affording perfect^safety to^'its occupants 
under all circumstances. The dining-room is located on the tenth floor, and is the most ma^ 
nificent apartment ever devoted to this purpose. In all its features, including the furnishing' 



THE AUDITOEIUM. 



13 



and fittings in every department, the Auditorium Hotel is without a superior anywhere in the 
world. The location, on IVIichigan avenue, Congress street, and Wabash avenue, at the begin- 
ning of the finest drive in this country, overlooking Lake Michigan and park, is excellent. It 
covers an acre and a half of ground, weighs 110,000 tons, contains 17,000,000 bricks, and cost 
$3,200,000. The sides of the reception room are finished in blocked Mexican onyx, which, 
even at the quarries, costs more than a dollar for a piece no larger than a man's hand. Its the- 
atre, or auditorium proper, seats 8,000, with standing room for 2,000 more. Some of the party 




THE AUDITORIUM. 

waited here half an hour for the gas to be turned on, so that we could see its arrangements, of 
a beauty so different from anything we had ever seen before. At the summit of its tower, 260 
feet from the street, is located the United States Signal office, whence a wide view is obtained. 
At the Grand Pacific, only less than the Auditorium in beauty and interest, solids were pro- 
vided for the ladies, liquids and cigars for the men. At the close of the post-prandial exer- 
cises. Captain Thomes said: "If we are permitted to visit Chicago on our return, we hope 
to be able to each give $100 to help pay the great expense of the World's Fair, which this 
unfortunate city will now have to bear." Great laughter and applause greeted this sally. The 
parting words were said, and out over liie Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway we crossed 
the State of Illinois, following closely the line of march of General Winfield Scott in the Black 



14 



PIOMEEBS OF '49. 



Hawk war, as pointed out to us by General Samuel A. Chapin, of our party, one of the few 
survivors of that struggle. 

The sun is low, but its light gives us a fine view of the limitless prairie which stretches in 
every direction like a vast ocean of waving grain, "till the sense aches with gazing." 
Enormous herds are seen here and there, held to their ranches by the omnipresent wire fences. 
We made no stop until we reached Black Hawk's village, now Rock Island, just as the sun 
disappeared. How vividly the scene recalled the last great speech of the old chief, especially 
the following: — 

" We went to our father at Washington. We were encouraged. His great council gave 
us fair words and big promises ; but we obtained no satisfaction. There were no deer in the 
forest; the springs were drying up, and our people were without victuals to keep them from 
starving. . . . Farewell, my nation ! Black Hawk tried to save you, and avenge your 
wrono-s. He spilt the blood of some of the whites. He has been taken prisoner, and his 
plans are stopped. He can do no more ! He is near his end. His sun is setting, and he will 
rise no more. Farewell to Black Hawk ! " 




fi?fi^?\^^ 



We soon cross the Mississippi by the splendid bridge of this line to Davenport, la., where, 
on the site of the present Kimball House, the treaty was signed with the Indians, opening up 
to white settlement western Illinois, eastern Iowa, and southern Wisconsin. 

Traversing southeastern Iowa and northwestern Missouri, we cross the Missouri River on a 
high and substantial bridge, and enter Kansas City, one of the most important railway centres 
of the country, at lo.oo a. m. April 13. We stopped in a valley where there are a few manufac- 



AT KAJYSAS CITY. 15 

tories, while beautiful residences doi the towering hills all around. On each of three railroads 
stood a very long train, the engines taking water. Learning that we should stay two hours 
and a half, Mrs. Ball and I went on a cable car to the Centrepolitan Hotel, managed by James 
T. Clyde, an old acquaintance. At the close of our pleasant call he insisted upon our taking 
witli us two bottles of California claret, that we might try it before reaching the place where 
it abounds. On comparing notes with others who had gone in different directions on cable 
cars, we agreed that this is a very pleasant city, but rough and hilly, although we could not 
credit the story of the cow who is said to have fallen out of her pasture and broken her neck. 
Stores were closed, and services were held in various churches ; but restaurants and cigar 
shops were open, and in the bearing of people on the street we could see little to indicate that 
it was Sunday. The eventual prosperity of this place must be great and permanent, on 
account of its location; but for several years it has had a somewhat feverish boom — an 
intoxicating glass whose bitter dregs are now at its lips. Said a good judge of the situation : 
" The collapse has been nearly equal to the boom." 




16 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER III. 

KANSAS COLORADO. 

Ring out a slowly dying cause, 
And ancient forms of party strife ; 
Ring in the nobler modes of life, 

"With sweeter manners, purer laws. 



-Tennyson. 



CHANGING to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, we leave Kansas City, which, 
oddly enough, is in the State of Missouri, and cross the border into beautiful Kansas. 
Formerly, trains of California Pioneers traversed these wide plains in imminent peril from 
roving Indians, who watched with stealthy cunning to kill the emigrant and his helpless family 
for the treasures of their wagon. Near Lawrence, the train was divided into two sections, 
running a few miles apart. This place is memorable for the terrible carnage when whole 
families were murdered in cold blood, and others were driven from their homes, giving the 
State the name of " Bleeding Kansas." This act was the sudden culmination of a long drama. 

Our n^xt stop at Topeka recalls the stormy days of Buchanan's administration, when Con- 
gress was considering the Lecompton and Topeka constitutions. The pro-slavery constitution 
was to be forced upon the people by the missionary slaveholders from Missouri going into 
Kansas and carrying it through, and it was part of the policy of Buchanan's party to allow and 
defend this course of action. Both sides colonized voters with all their might. Towns like 
Ouindaro sprang up as by magic, and were peopled by thousands, where now there is hardly a 
building. " Squatter sovereignty " was to be omnipotent. But Douglas and Richardson of 
Illinois, with Haskell and a few others, left the Democrats at this juncture, worked with the 
Republicans, and sent a committee of congressmen into the territory. The Topeka constitu- 
tion was adopted, preventing slaveholders from the States from bringing in their slaves as 
such. 

But it was a fierce conflict. Topeka had been founded Dec, 1854. The border rufiians 
burned Lawrence May 21, 1856; next day Charles Sumner was beaten by Brooks; the next, 
John Brown and his men killed the Doyles, and on June 2 fought the affray of Black Jack. 
Jan. 29, 1861, Buchanan signed the bill making Kansas a free State, with a population of 
100,000, now more than a million. Fifty thousand dollars, voted for a capitol at Lecompton, 
was stolen, and Lane University, named for Jim Lane, made from the plunder. 

The conflict of ideas involved in this long struggle in Kansas shook political California to 
its deepest foundations, and, but for the wholesome restraining influence of the powerful, non- 
partisan Vigilance Committee of San Francisco, a struggle no less desperate would surely 
have been waged upon the shores of the Pacific. Among my most treasured books is that 
containing the Lincoln-Douglas debates. 

" Six routes of railroad parallel each other through the great width of Kansas — more than 
through the State of New York, with four times the population; and the railroad systems 
extending westward from the Missouri River are the longest in the world. While the entire 



THROUGH KAMSAS. 17 

Pennsylvania Railroad system east of the Ohio to the seaboard is only 2,300 miles, the Mis- 
souri Pacific system is 5,000 miles, the Rock Island system is 3,400 miles, the Burlington 
systems, 5,200 miles, the Union Pacific over 11,000, with about 2,000 miles of this in Kansas 
and Nebraska, and not a mile east of these States. Close to Kansas is the Northwestern sys- 
tem of 4,400 miles, and 1,400 in the accessory Omaha system; and the separate Elkhorn Rail- 
way is 1,400 miles long, with 770 miles of it due west into Wyoming. Then 1,600 miles are 
in only one of the rival lines between St. Paul and Kansas, and nearly 2,000 in the Texas 
Pacific, 1,800 in the M., K. & T., 1,150 in the Kansas & Memphis line, and the Santa Fe line 
leaps 2,400 miles from Atchison west in one impulse, with long branches, near 10,000 miles 
in all, every way. These systems are the Pacific Central spans, held up by such vast canti- 
levers to the West as the Southern Pacific, with 13,400 miles; the Denver & Rio Grande, 
1,500; the Northern Pacific, 2,500 in the main jump, and hundreds of miles of switches, lying 
around like pawnbroker's junk ; the Jim Hill system of 3,300 miles, etc. Kansas contains 
enough railroad to reach above a third of the way around the globe, or due eastward, 
probably to Asia. 

But how young is she to have such a sudden power ? Coronado, a Spaniard, visited Kansas 
in 1541, and called it Quivira, its plains full of crooked-backed oxen; he designed to conquer 
it. The next year after, De Soto died. Nothing of note happened for 171 years, or till Crozat 
received the French grant of Louisiana, when a French explorer visited Kansas in 1719. In 
1799-1800 French trading posts were established at St. Joseph and Kansas City. From 1718 
to 1804 the region was nominally Spanish. Before the latter date John Brown was born, in 
1800. Louisiana cost the United States $27,000,000 up to date, and was to the old 13 colonies 
as 1 1 to 8 in size. " The less said about the constitutionality of it, the better," wrote Jefferson; 
" I find but one opinion about the necessity of shutting up the constitution for some time." 
In 1821-30 some trading fur posts were established. As early as 1820 the grasshoppers 
struck Kansas ; in 1824 a government road was commenced to Santa Fe. In 1832 Leaven- 
worth became a post ; Daniel Boone, son of old Daniel, produced the first white child in 
Kansas, Napoleon Boone, 1828. 

At Topeka we found a most obliging horse-car conductor. The train was behind time, so 
we could stop but fifteen minutes ; but some wanted to see the town, which is a short distance 
from the station. The conductor said he would have them back on time, so his car was filled, 
and off they started at full speed. When he thought he had gone as far as time would 
permit, he stopped, called a policeman, turned the bob-tailed car around, and galloped back to 
the train just in time. This is a town of magnificent streets, with electrical railways, good 
hotels, and a self-reliant race. Courage is the cheapest thing to be found west of the 
Mississippi River. 

A few years ago thousands of buffalo inhabited the plains over which we pass for several 
hundred miles, but now not one is to be seen, and only at rare intervals can deer be observed 
from the cars, although a sneaking coyote is often noticed feasting on the remains of a dead 
bullock. 

Over these vast prairies, only needing water and irrigation to produce abundant crops of 
grain and grass, the fierce and cowardly Apache formerly roamed in pursuit of game and the 
trading expedition that left the Missouri River for Santa Fe. A vast amount of business was 
at one time transacted between St. Louis, Mo., and the old city when it was under Spanish 
and Mexican rule. As early as 1821 goods were shipped to the banks of the Missouri from 
St. Louis, and then dispatched on their long and dangerous journey to Santa Fe, loaded on 
wagons drawn by eight or twelve oxen. These vehicles were called "prairie schooners," 



18 FIOKEEB^ OF '49. 

being covered with white canvas to protect the cargoes and shelter the women and children 
during the trip, which consumed three months and sometimes six, just according to luck and 
freedom from molestation by the Indians, who were ever on the watch to stampede the cattle 
and murder the travelers; and only eternal vigilance saved animals and scalps. Every foot of 
land over which we ride so comfortably in our Pullman car is historical, and every acre has 
been enriched by human blood. It was over a portion of this route that George Wilkens 
Kendall, of the New Orleans Picayune^ suffered and starved on his celebrated Santa Fe 
expedition in 1841. Kendall started from Austin, Tex., with a lot of traders and 300 volun- 
teers for Santa Fe, on a sort of filibustering expedition, Texas claiming Santa Fe and the 
territory all along the banks of the Rio Grande and miles beyond. The Texans were never 
noted for timidity and retiring modesty. Kendall went as a looker-on and a passenger, and a 
nice time he had of it. The expedition got lost in the mountains, starved and panted for 
water on the plains, was attacked by Indians night and day. Many men were killed, some 
became insane ; and at last, before Santa Fe was reached, the whole force surrendered to the 
Mexican Greaser soldiers, were promptly put in irons, after tlieir firearms were delivered up, 
were fastened together with ropes, and then marched to the City of Mexico, 1,200 miles 
distant. The treatment of the prisoners was brutal in the extreme. Some were shot down in 
mere wantonness, others were flogged and starved, and suffered many indignities; and those 
who survived were imprisoned, and compelled to work on the streets and in the horrible, dirty 
sewers with the chain gangs. Kendall fared no better than the others who escaped with their 
lives. He was kept a prisoner for six months, and then released by Santa Ana, after an 
immense amount of diplomatic correspondence on the part of the United States, and when all 
the press of the country had denounced the outrages inflicted on the editor. He was caught 
in suspicious company, and the Mexicans made him pay for it; for there was no love between 
the Texans and the Mexicans in those days and not much at the present time. 

Emporia, where we made a short halt, is a type of many towns in this section, with wide 
avenues, handsome buildings, horse cars, and similar evidences of thrift. All along the road 
here the formation of the rock resembles the work of man. At the base, in places, is clay 
for several feet, then stones, looking like blocks cut from a quarry and laid in courses, then a 
repetition of the above. " Dug-outs," or cyclone shields, were seen here and there. New 
England names are common, as Newton, where we stop an hour in the evening for water and 
fuel. Dodge City, which we pass in the night, is on the 105th meridian, and watches are set 
back one hour to mountain standard time. 

Just beyond Coolidge we enter Colorado, Monday morning. The plains look dry and bar- 
ren, yet they furnish good grazing; not from the sage brush, as many suppose, but from the 
short, sweet grass which retains its life and flavor long after it seems dead from its dun color 
and absence of springing shoots. Far to the west we can see the dim outline of the rocky shore 
of this vast prairie ocean. Slowly it rises as we advance, a range of mountains with peaks 
among the clouds, many of them snow-clad, through which our engines seek the lowest path, 
but climb steadily. At Trinidad our locomotives take a short rest 6,000 feet above the sea, 
then bear us through a tunnel 2,200 feet long, and thence — two engines to each section — on to 
the summit, 7,622 feet high, where we meet one of Raymond & Whitcomb's excursion parties 
returning from Mexico. Pike's Peak towers in the distance, 14,147 feet high, and at short 
range we see the graceful Spanish Peaks, 13,620 feet in height. The railroad follows the gen- 
eral direction of the old " Santa Fe Trail; " and Dick Wootton's famous old toll-house is seen 
on the right, just north of the summit. 



LAS VEGAS HOT SPRINGS. 



19 



CHAPTER IV. 



NEW MEXICO — ARIZONA. 



Hereditary bondsmen ! know ye not 

Who would be free themselves must strike the blow? 



— Byron. 



WE reach Las Vegas Hot Springs, 786 miles from Kansas City, at 6.00 p. M., and visit the 
medicinal springs, some forty in number, varying in temperature from very warm to 
that of ice water. The air here is light on account of the elevation, nearly 7,000 feet, and 
many complained of a disagreeable sensation, feeling light headed and treacherous footed. 
Although susceptible to atmospheric changes, I did not experience anything of this, and think 
it was somewhat exaggerated by the imaginations of the sufferers. My impression was further 



I « 




^PAj*0^>l=UflL' Y CO 



THE MONTEZUMA HOTEL. 



confirmed by the statement of a gentleman at the hotel that he could not live below an altitude 
of 3,000 feet on account of the weakness of his lungs. This hotel, the Montezuma, was 
built by the Santa Fe Railroad Company, at a cost of ^400,000. Its predecessor, the Phoenix, 
was burned but a few years ago. The house is all that is claimed for it, and had twenty- 
five guests, paying $18 per week and upward, among whom we found friends who greeted us 



20 



PIOMEERS OF '49. 



warmly and gave us much valuable information. We walked along the banks of the Rio 
Gallinas, which flows through a picturesque canon from the Spanish range of the Rocky 
Mountains. 

From Las Vegas we ride through an undulating plateau. In the gathering darkness we 
strain our eyes to get a faint view of "Starvation Mountain," where a band of Indians sur- 
rounded and vanquished by hunger 140 Mexicans; of " Glorieta Pass," where a sharp fight 
occurred early in the Rebellion, between United States troops and a band of Texans, bent upon 
seizing New Mexico; and then we retire, rising with the sun Tuesday, April 15, as we enter 
Santa Fe, more than 300 years old, and strangely antique in appearance. At six o'clock teams 
come to take us around the capital. There are some very good carriages here, although bur- 
ros are made to do the heavy work, and move around just about fast enough for the average 
Mexican. One was never known to run away with or from any one. The people are begin- 
ning to appear, and soon the sandy streets are alive with human beings and dumb animals. 
As we are taken around in old-fashioned hacks with Spanish drivers, we meet little carts 
drawn by donkeys, and a steady procession of Tesuque Indians, each driving two burros with 
loads of wood carefully packed upon their backs. The Indian cuts this wood ten or fifteen 

miles out of the city, and, if he can muster enough 
resolution to get by the saloon, he pockets fifty cents 
for a day's work of himself and two burros. The 
"adobe," of clay, — one story high, as a rule, and 
with a flat roof, — is the abode for rich and poor. 
Governor L. Bradford Prince — and a princely fellow 
he was — invited us to visit his palace, whose fame 
antedates that of Plymouth Rock by a century. He 
told us that he came from Brooklyn, has been here 
eleven years, and prefers Santa Fe to any other place 
in the Union. He has named New Mexico the " Sun- 
shine State," as they have almost perpetual sunshine, 
except when excursionists come along, when, as on 
that day, the sky is apt to be cloudy. He exalted 
New Mexico as equal in progress and promise to 
BURRO LOADED WITH WOOD. ^uy Statc iu thc Unlon, giving a summary of her 

inexhaustible resources, showing that she is rich in extensive forests of pine, in fertile wheat 
lands, in soils well adapted for market gardens, orchards, and vineyards, in a climate extremely 
favorable to agriculture, and in large deposits of gold and silver, copper and lead, coal and iron, 
mica and marble, aside from the vast herds of cattle that cover the plains, and the flocks of 
sheep which roam on the hillsides. With all these facilities for production, the people are 
now buying abroad nearly all their manufactured goods; and in 1889 they imported 818,000 
pounds of unground wheat, 18,552,000 pounds of flour, 16,000,000 jDOunds of corn and meal, 
8,000 tons of hay, over 1,000 tons of fruit, 80 tons of beans, 140 tons of butter, 20 tons of 
cheese, 27 tons of poultry, 240,000 dozens of eggs, 250,000 bushels of potatoes, and other 
things in proportion. "Here," said he, "are abundant resources, with a large home market 
waiting to be supplied with home products." 

His facts and figures go far to substantiate the claim of abundant opportunity and resource, 
although the "progress" was not so noticeable by any means. To our unprejudiced minds 
it seemed clear that nothing less than a thorough liberalizing of their ideas and an abandon- 
ment of their present lethargy will prevent the people from experiencing another century of 




THE ADOBE PALACE. 



21 



ignorance, superstition, indolence, and poverty. Hon. Samuel B. Axtell, who was elected by 
California to the 40th and 41st Congresses, and who, since 1S82, has been Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of New Mexico, also made an excellent speech. President Thomes and 
Secretary Whittemore "did the honors" for us nobly; whereupon we visited the palace 
which, for nearly 300 years, has been the abode of Spanish, Mexican, and American governors. 
It is adobe all through, with but one floor, and the rooms so arranged that each can be entered 




OLD GOVERNMENT HOUSE AT SANTA FE, ERECTED 160O. 

from the sidewalk through hallways crossing the building, or one can pass from one end to 
the other through these rooms and halls. The rooms are well kept, and contain many curious 
relics, some of an age preceding the Spanish occupation. Wood fires in the open fireplaces 
looked very cheerful that cool morning. Just opposite the palace are the barracks of the loth 
U. S. infantry, whose band gives a concert every afternoon. To honor the occasion, the 
governor had this concert, which was excellent, given in the forenoon. The people are very 
courteous ; Mexicans, Indians, and various other nationalities all seeming anxious to show us 
attention, leaving their business to guide us to points of interest or to give information. 

In an adobe on i\\Q plaza,hvi\\i in 1851, "Ben Hur" was penned. All General Lew Wallace, 
then governor, had to do was to give a faithful description of the scenery around the city, and 
the characteristics of tlie people, and the book could be adapted to Jerusalem so nicely as to dis- 
arm all criticism by simply changing Spanish names into those peculiar to the "Sacred City." 

We were much interested by their stories of " Kit Carson," whose monument stands in 
front of tlie Federal Building. We visited the San Miguel Church, supposed to be the oldest 
place of worship in America, having a recorded history as far back as 1580. Our entrance 
did not seem to attract the attention of a Spanish lady, so absorbed was she in her morning 
devotions. The church is small but well lighted, and we examined it inside and out in a very 
few minutes. An attendant asked us to register our names and, when we had complied, told 
us that 25 cents wa>s expected from each visitor. We lost no time in paying the levy, and 



22 



PIOJ^EERS OF 'Jf9. 



then our teams whirled us around the old city, which was doubtless populous and powerful 
lone ages before Cortez invaded Mexico. At the " Ramona School " for Indians some 
of our party were deeply interested in the recitations and songs. Here we met Hon. 
Daniel Dorchester, of Massachusetts, the U. S. superintending teacher of Indian schools, 

with whom many of us were well 
acquainted. These schools are 
doing good work for the young 
Indians, who already give evidence 



of the beginning of a civilization 
which will put to shame this sleepy 
Spanish community, hemmed in by 
ignorance and fettered by preju- 
dice. 

Captain Thomes relates an ex- 
perience with a Santa Fe woman 
who was so delighted that he could 
talk to her in Spanish that she in- 
sisted on supplying him with re- 
freshments. A woman is a comfort 
and happiness in the house as a 
companion and helpmeet, but to 
preserve our love and respect it is 
desirable that she should wash her 
hands with soap and water at least 
once a week. The captain did not 
taste her frijoles and tortillas, say- 
ing that he had registered a vow to 
the good St. Antonio for some 
trifling sin not to eat for a week, 
but he gave her a two-real piece 
for her trouble. 

Long before Cortez landed in • 
Mexico, Santa Fe was an Indian 
town of importance. In 1540 an 
expedition, composed of Span- 
iards, marched against it, and was 
defeated. Soon after Jesuits put 
in an appearance, then a few hun- 
dred soldiers, and the natives yielded, and tasted the bitter fruits of Castilian rule. They 
were made peons, no better than slaves, and forced to become church worshipers and good 
Christians at the point of the bayonet. 

There is hardly a foot of soil here that has not been wet with the blood of Indians, 
Spaniards, Mexicans, or Americans. Revolutions, murders, shooting, and stabbing followed 
each other rapidly until the city came under American rule in 1846, when General Kearney 
captured the place with United States dragoons, and then marched towards California, to be 
defeated by Mexicans under Andras Pico at San Pasqual, and saved from capture by a force 
from the navy under Commodore Stockton at San Diego. 




A TYPICAL MEXICAN. 



Ijy'DIJJVS OF J^EW MEXICO. 



23 



Just as we were starting for our train, L. W. Gleason, seeing his daughter, Flora M., riding 

a burro, said : " Go back to the Plaza, and have your picture taken." By the time he had 

found a photographer, others had collected, and the picture included a characteristic group, 

which I should like to insert among the illustrations 

of this book ; but, owing to a cloudy sky, many of the 

lines are too faint for a good electrotype. 

But our iron horse neighed at i.oo p. M., and we 

rode southward through a desert whose broad expanse 

is relieved only by glimpses of the dim, distant hills. 

We reach the main line at Lamy Junction, and are 

soon on the banks of the Rio Grande del Norte, 

which we follow for fifty miles through numerous 

Indian settlements, whose little huts just rise above 

the plain; while scores of tawny heads are stretched 

out to get a good look at our long train. Some of 

the braves are actually working in the fields. At 

Wallace, as, indeed, at all their settlements where 

we stopped, young and old rushed to the cars with 

blankets, beads, and trinkets, and such stores as 

topaz, turquoise, and agate for sale. One squaw, 

about thirteen years old, whose pappoose's eyes just 

peeped over her shoulder, was offered a round price 

for the child, to tempt her; but she said, "No much 

money buy it." They know little English, but under- 
stand 5 cents, lo cents, bit, etc. When our hour's pueblo Indians. 

stay was drawing to a close, prices suddenly tumbled 50 per cent, or more. 

Deacon Daniel A. Clark, an amateur photographer of our party, tried to catch the picture of 

a handsome squaw with her baby, but every attempt was signaled to her by Indians around, 

.:^..: __ and at once her face was buried in her 
arms, and her bright drapery was pulled 
up over her own face and that of the 
little one. But curiosity led her to raise 
her head for a moment, when he succeed- 
ed in getting an instantaneous picture. 

We left at three o'clock, and reached 
Albuquerque at 6.30 p. M., where, after a 
short stop, two engines were attached to 
our train. We were forcibly impressed 
with the contrast presented by the two 
parts of this town. The old portion, 
Mexican long ago, and under Spanish 
rule for centuries since, drones away a 
sleepy existence ; while the new town, 
settled and controlled by Americans, 

possesses American life and promise, Yankee industry and thrift. 

Westward, ho ! 130 miles, and we cross the continental divide or backbone, 7,297 feet above 

the sea, where we are encompassed by mountains in long ranges, or clustered peaks, resemb- 





AN ADOBE OVEN. 



24 jPIOjYEERS of '49. 

ling waves of such magnitude and commotion as never man saw, suddenly changed into solid 
earth. At 9.30 Wednesday morning we are at Winslow, where we stop three quarters of an 
hour for water, which is brought from an artesian well, twelve miles away. Winslow is a type 
of all these little towns, being well supplied with the inevitable saloon, with cowboys and 
Spanish loafers. The walls of the station bore the following 

NOTI C E! 

Whereas, certain individuals have ridden into this town, and discharged their revolvers to 
see how high a man could hop, we now warn all cowboys to leave their firearms outside of the 
place when they come here, or the worse for the boys. A word of warning is enough. We 
are in earnest. 

By Order of a Committee. 

This notice is little needed now, although it is not more than five years since it was in full 
force and effect, as the following quotations from the "Field of Honor" of Major Ben. C. 
Truman and leading papers will show : — 

" Ostensibly a herder of stock on unpurchased or unpaid-for ranges, but in reality a stealer 
of horses and cattle, a guzzler of adulterated spirits, and a shooter of men, he fears neither God, 
man, nor devil. An Apollo Belvedere in physical shape and beauty, he dresses in a blue flannel 
shirt and flaming red necktie, dark pants stuck into high-legged boots, and sombrero. He is 
at once generous, reckless, lawless, dissipated, desperate, and dangerous, and dashes furiously 
through the hell upon earth of his own creating like a picturesque devil to his grave. There 
is the ' Howler of the Prairies,' the ' Terror from the Upper Trail,' and the ' Blizzard of the 
States.' Many have had superior advantages of education and home influences, while others 
were rocked in the cradle of infamy from the start. Few live to be thirty, and ninety-nine out 
of every hundred fill dishonored graves through the medium of a bullet or the hangman's 
noose. ' Billy the Kid,' at nineteen, told how he had killed his eleven men with marvelous 
nonchalance. ' Curly Bill ' would shoot off a man's winkers without harming the sight, 
and pick the stoppers from decanters at twenty paces. I have heard this renowned devil 
boast of his own private cemetery, which, he said, lacked but one of a score of graves ; and 
have then observed him draw his six-shooter quietly and take off a button from a companion's 
coat." 

The New York Times, January, 1883, published the following: — 

•' ' 'T is funny how whiskey scrapes a man's throat when he is not used to it,' said Curly Bill 
once, as he gulped down ' the pizen,' and then, for amusement, drew his revoh^er and shot a hole 
through the top of a man's hat. Then, bantering about their skill, they walked out and went 
to shooting silver half-dollars out of each other's fingers at twenty paces. Soon tiring of this 
monotonous excitement, Bill asked a soldier to hold up a silver piece. Twice the bullet 
struck the coin; but the third time, for pure devilment, Bill shot the fellow's front finger off, 
saying, in explanation, ' Oh, I thought you had been a soldier long enough,' whereupon they 
returned to the saloon. Soon afterwards a cry of fire was raised, and the saloon burned to 
the ground. Before it fell, the clatter of horses' feet was heard, and Bill and his companions 
came rattling up the street, the landlord with them. At the next bar-room, the landlord who 
had been burned out explained, ' That Curly Bill got to shooting at the lamp and hit her a 
little too low, and it exploded. He will pay the damage, though.' Drinks for the crowd 
were followed by Spanish Monte. There is a price upon this man's head in almost every 
territory, and he has been reported dead half a dozen times ; but lie turns up in unexpected 
places to vex every community he strikes, for he is a genuine desperado. 



COWBOYS OF FIVE YEARS AGO. 25 

'"Oh, hush ! ' shouted a long, lank fellow, as he jumped upon a table filled with rough men. 
The cause of his joy was the words of the dealer of the keno-bank, calling the number that 
made him winner of the pot. ' I am a hard man from Bitter Creek, I eats b'ar-meat, weigh 
4,000 pounds, smells like a wolf, and the whiz of bullets is music in my year,' yelled the 
fellow, as he threw his sombrero off from his villainous-looking countenance. One of the men 
who had been less fortunate at the game hit him a blow under the ear just as he finished 
speaking, and he fell like an ox. He picked himself up, looked quietly around the place, and 
then said, ' Well, this is the most sociable community I ever struck. Come on, boys, let 's 
liquor.' It cost him 55 to treat, but the experience he got was worth it. This was a braggart, 
in strong contrast with Curly Bill." 

Another paper had this : — 

" His clear-cut features, long, drooping moustache, and curly blonde hair, which fell in curls 
on his shoulders, made Russian Bill an object of special interest to strangers. Although 
known as a 'rustler,' he spoke five or six languages fluently, and delighted in discussing 
literature, science, or art. Curly Bill and his companions never gave him credit for any 
exploits except with his tongue; but he bragged so much of his desperate deeds, that a New 
Mexico vigilance committee took him at his word, and exported him by the 'grape-vine 
route,' accompanied by Sandy King. Russian Bill died like a coward, but King said: 'Boys, 
give me a drink; it will help me on the road to hell. I reckon this game you are playing is 
all right. I have got even with many of your kind while I 've lived, and I don't know why I 
ought to squeal when you 've nipped me.' This nonchalance nearly captured the crowd, but 
they finally concluded to send him aloft. They gave him the drink, when he straightened 
himself up, and said, ' Now, boys, I 'm ready for the devil to get his own.' The next morning 
the coroner's jury brought in a verdict that the two men committed suicide by hanging. Some 
time later the county sheriff received a letter from the American consul at St. Petersburg, 
saying that the Countess Telfuin was very anxious to learn the whereabouts of her son, who 
had been banished for political reasons, but who possessed large Q.?>\.d.\.e&, enclosing a phoio- 
graph of Russian Bill. Word was sent that he had committed suicide two years before." 

The New York Tribjine, Sept. 9, 1883, had the following: — 

"'Poker Bill' had achieved a reputation that won respectful attention throughout Arizona 
for anything he chose to say, until, one da}-, he quarreled with a new station agent about the 
charges on an express bundle, and prepared to enforce his argument with a revolver, when 
such a sight was seen as mortal eye had never witnessed since Antelope Spring was known to 
white men. Out from the door of the station agent's car, plunging headlong to the ground, 
came Poker Bill, propelled by a terrific kick. He was without his pistol, his waistcoat had 
been torn off, and his remaining clothing had collected most of the dust from the car fioor. 
He fled ingloriously, devoted one day to solid profanity, and then 'vamosed the ranch,' for 
his sun had set." 

Major Truman says that a " cowboy who had murdered a man in a New Mexican town, and 
was pursued for a day by the sheriff, returned to the scene of his crime, compelled the 
sheriff to go in his company to all the saloons in town and treat him ; and then, mounting his 
horse, he rode off in safety." 

An article in the Laramie Boomerang states: — 

"One night a saloon-keeper near Laramie found he had no lights fit to do duty — the bovs 
had shot them to pieces. Every time a lamp would fall, the marksman who assisted 
at the post-mortem of said lamp would cheerfully waltz to the bar and pay for it, and 
then try again. Ben Carter had not shot, but had made it a point to drink with 



26 



PIOJ^EERS OF '40. 



the successful marksmen ; so that, strictly speaking, he was n't sober. Finally he awoke 
to action. Seizing a revolver from a companion, and drawing his own, he sprang to 
the centre of the room, and told the boys they ought to be ashamed of themselves. He 
was a perfect lady himself, and it shocked him to witness such disgraceful proceedings. 
He had been appointed deputy sheriff, and had decided to arrest every mother's son of them. 
They protested, but Ben flourished his weapons, told them he had the whole United States at 
his back, and ordered them into an empty warehouse near. The novelty of the thing muddling 
the boys somewhat, they obeyed; when Ben fastened them in, stood guard outside with 
drunken dignity, and released them in the morning after exacting a solemn promise to behave 
themselves like gentlemen and ladies thereafter. This would have ended all right had not the 
sly laughter of all they met opened their eyes. At last, unutterably mad, they marched to the 
saloon, where they found Ben Carter. The spokesman, Broncho Bill, then and there told Ben 
that he was no gentleman and no deputy sheriff; that he had insulted them by putting them in 
the 'jug,' and they could wipe out that insult only by creating a vacancy in the atmosphere 
thereabouts about the size of his body. He must go, and go quick. Ben is brave enough, 
but after he had looked over the crowd, and saw that each man had his hand on his persuader, 

he concluded that perhaps Broncho 
Bill was right. He got; and when 
he had put several hundred yards 
of sage brush between himself and 
the station, the boys, having no 
further use for 'forty-fours,' 
emptied their revolvers. From the 
agile manner in which Ben was 
dancing around as he passed 
swiftly over the brow of the hill 
toward Laramie, and the amount 
of dust rising in little clouds all 
around him, it is believed the boys 
carelessly pointed their weapons 
his way while taking the loads 
out." 

Five hundred graves of Pioneers, 
scattered throughout Arizona, mark 
the deadly work of Apaches ; but, 
thanks to McCormick in Congress, 
Safford as governor, and General 
Crook in the field, no hostile Indian 
roams these plains, and no more is 
heard the flight of the poisoned 
arrow or the whiz of the treacher- 
ous bullet. McCormick once said 
in Congress: " I went from the city 
of New York to Arizona with my 

INDIAN ON LOOKOUT. • j- i i • £ r ii_ 

prejudices largely in favor of the 
Indian, but when I came to deal with him I could clearly understand the terrible wrongs against 
which the people had to contend. There are Indians whose tendency is towards civilization, 




THROUGH ARIZONA. 27 

who live in villages, and who, while they are naturally inclined to steal and commit occasional 
depredations, are for the most part friendly and peaceable. Then there are the Apaches, 
who are wild and of the very lowest order of human beings." 

Still, the Eastern press and the Eastern pulpits continued to make war upon the white 
settlers of Arizona, and to send greeting to the redskins ; and at last forced the Government 
to send out Vincent Colyer, who traveled through the Territory under a large cavalry escort, 
with prayer books in one hand and presents in the other. Four weeks later the Apaches 
attacked the La Paz stage, Nov. 4, 1871, and killed Fred. W. Loring, a noted Boston writer, 
Fred. Shoholm, W. G. Solomon, P. W. Hamel, C. S. Adams, and the driver, John Lance. 
Wm. Kruger and Mollie Sheppard escaped. The Indians did not touch the mail bag or the 
valuable express box of Wells, Fargo & Co., but seemed bent on murder in a time of 
peace. It was generally believed the deed was done by Apaches of the Camp Date Creek 
reservation, then supported by the Government. Vincent Colyerism immediately became 
extinct, and the New York and New England press recommended less Bible and more sword 
for Apaches. The remedy was tried at the first opportunity, General Crook administering the 
dose, which proved effective in preserving peace, white men, and Indians at one and the same 
time. 

Dividing our train into two sections, we pull out from Winslow and cross the Devil's 
Canon, by a $250,000 iron bridge, on which our train halts and trembles, as we look down 223 
feet into the abyss, and throw a stone whose concussion with the rocks below is never heard. 
Nothing indicates our great altitude except the cool nights, although it is very comfortable 
until the sun goes down. Our colds and other troubles receive the attention of Dr. V. L. 
Owen of our party, who will not take pay for his services. 

We take water at Williams, and then enter a formation of awful grandeur, crossing John- 
son's Gulch, a deep, wild ravine. Volcanic rocks and ashes lie along the side of the road ; 
while overhead hang huge boulders that seem ready to fall upon us, of such queer forms that 
they appear to have been placed there by the hands of giant men. There are "dug-outs " in 
great numbers in the sides of the hills, for this is the neighborhood of the cliff dwellers, a race 
of hoary antiquity, and not impossibly the oldest on earth, according to some ethnologists. 

From childhood up I have frequently read or heard that "cleanliness is next to godliness," 
and that " the amount of soap used by any people is the measure of its civilization." Taking 
either of these propositions as a premise, and using for a middle term any statement one can 
truthfully make of a Yuma Indian, the conclusion is irresistible that he has reached the lowest 
depths of savage filth and degradation. There is considerable water in the Colorado River, 
but he never uses it ; indeed, he does not even take the trouble to get up a "dry polish," as 
Dickens expresses it, by rubbing off some of the loose dirt. He is a genuine child of the 
earth, as an Apache of darkness ; and were not the topic done to death long ago, I would give 
experiences of some of our party with Indians of both tribes. 




28 PIOMEERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER V. 

SAN BERNARDINO. 

As, o'er the glacier's frozen sheet, 

Breathes soft the Alpine rose ; 
So, through Life's desert, springing sweet, 

The Flower of Friendship grows. 

— Holmes. 

THE crossing of the Colorado River sends even the most wakeful to their couches, and 
we miss in slumber the " Needles" and other objects of interest. Thursday, April 17, 
day dawns upon the vast solitudes of the Mojave Desert, without a sign of vegetation other 
than sage brush and a few yucca palms, and without a living creature except a few Indians 
and an occasional emigrant party. For 600 miles through this barren waste almost the only 
life to be seen is on board our cars; and, although we have every luxury of the finest trans- 
continental train on record, we look ominously at each other, and even the colored waiters 
turn pale when the dining-car " Iturbide " breaks a truck, delaying us six hours. Finding we 
must wait some time, we took short walks around to see what the place was like. Conductor 
C. O. Perkins was standing by his train, when he was startled by a cry from Flora M. Gleason, 
who ran hurriedly toward him, exclaiming, " Oh ! Mr. Perkins ! Come out here ! There is a 
snake out here, and he is making an awfully funny noise." The conductor hastened to the 
spot, and found a rattlesnake, which he immediately killed. Pulling off the rattles, seven in 
number, he presented them to Mrs. L. W. Gleason, who had found the snake in a bunch of 
sage brush. The " funny noise " was a by-word for some time. 

This was near Bagdad, and for the first time on our trip we had ample leisure for inspecting 
the country and for social chat ; but somehow we did n't enjoy it, and each breathed a sigh of 
relief when wc steamed slowly into Barstow, where for the third and last time we put our 
watches back an hour, or else made the proper allowance thereafter, to conform to Pacific or 
1 20th meridian time. 

From the sandy waste and desolation of the Mojave Desert we are emerging into a region 
where the flowers and fruits of the semi-tropics grow in profusion. The transition is welcome. 
Although snow-clad peaks rise behind us, the air is fragrant with the sweet breath of orange- 
blossoms, for in front spreads the broad and fruitful valley in which San Bernardino, Coiton, 
Riverside, and dozens of other towns are situated. 

We were met not far from Barstow by John Brown, Jr., S. P. Waite, W. F. Holcomb, B. B. 
Harris, and J. L. Fitzpatrick, members of the Society of California Pioneers of San Bernar- 
dino ; and by H. Jackson, Earl Ducoe, H. L. Nash, and Hamp Tuttle, Native Sons of the 
Golden West of the same place. They had come as a committee to greet us, in a special train 
laden with sample products of their fair lands — flowers, oranges, lemons, wines, and other 
delicacies of their own production, which they distributed lavishly. They also gave us copies 
of the Times-Index containing the programme of the reception which had been planned. 



THE SAM BERKARBIXO DELEGATIOM. 



29 



After a consultation, in which the Californians strongly urged us to stay all night with them, a 
vote was taken, and decided in the affirmative without a dissenting voice ; many remarking 
that, when the people of a city like San Bernardino would send a committee a hundred miles 




A VISION OF THE GOLDEN COUNTRY. 



30 PIOXEERS OF '49. 

to meet visitors, armed with so much hospitality, we ought to take time enough to meet them 
all and shake hands with them. 

Major B. B. Harris, a San Bernardino Pioneer, stood talking with one of our number, when 
Deacon Daniel A. Clark, a Pioneer of Pawtucket, R. I., attempted to pass. Mr. Harris 
grasped his hand cordially, exclaiming: " Why ! I have seen you before, but cannot call you 
byname." Names were given, and the recognition was complete, for they had been "Old 
Timers" in Mariposa. There were other recognitions. Major Harris introduced Pioneer 
W. F. Holcomb, and as we partook of their fruits and wines, we talked with them of the old 
days, of mining scenes, hunting adventures, and amusing episodes. Pioneer Holcomb was 
particularly happy in describing some of his bear-hunting experiences. 

They told us that all San Bernardino was out, waiting anxiously for our arrival, and that we 
were to be entertained in genuine California style. We were much surprised at this, as we 
had expected to stay only two or three hours with them, if on time, and were now six hours 
late. They had written us before we left Boston to make them a long visit, but our president 
had reluctantly sent the following replies : — 

Boston, April i, 1890. 
Marcus Katz, Esq., Secretary San Bernardino Pioneers, Cat. — 

Dear Sir : Your letter of the 24th ult. deserves a prompt reply. We thank you for your 
kind words and kind invitation to remain longer than two hours at San Bernardino. You 
know that our time does not belong to us, but to Messrs. Raymond & Whitcomb ; and the latter 
o-entleman says that he will give us another hour, making three in all, which will enable us to 
clasp hands with you and your people. We shall have about sixty members, and about fifty 
of their wives and daughters, and consequently the rest of the company will be composed of 
friends and relatives of the members, who are anxious to go with us to see the most beautiful 
State in the Union at this time of the year. 

It would be an agreeable compliment to include in the reception all who are with us ; but do 
not spend money on our account. A word of welcome will suffice. Will telegraph from 
Albuquerque or some other point of our movements. 

With much respect, Wm. H. Thomes, President. 

Boston, April 3, 1890. 
B. B. Harris, Esq. — 

Dear Sir: In reply to your kind letter of the 27th ult. I would state that if we had the 
time we would gladly accept your hospitalities. I wrote to Mr. Katz the other day that 
Messrs. Raymond & Whitcomb have extended our time at San Bernardino three hours 
instead of two, but no more will be allowed us. 

Let us shake hands with your people and take a hasty look at your beautiful city, and then 
we must depart with good wishes on our part for your great kindness. 

Please do not prepare any refreshments for us, but give the ladies of our party a few flowers, 
and let us go with a blessing. We appreciate all that you would do for us, but we can't break 
our contract with Messrs. R. &: W. 

Yours truly, Wm. H. Thomes. 

Loth to give up, they had telegraphed to us at Santa Fe urging us to give them the fullest 
opportunity to extend their hospitality ; but we had been forced to reply much as above. 
While our party are telling stories and sampling California products for nearly eighty miles on 



THE ORIGINAL PROGRAMME. 31 

the road to San Bernardino, let us see what the people there are doing, as reported in their 
newspapers, and meet the trains as they come in. I select from a long article in the Daily 
Times-Index of April i6 : — 

"On to-morrow afternoon the California Pioneers of New England will arrive in this city, 
and will remain here for three hours. No longer time could be spared, as their programme 
had been made up for several months. 

" Many of these old residents of California have not visited the scene of their early home for 
a number of years ; but so much have they thought of it that they have kept up the Society of 
California Pioneers in Boston to keep fresh in their minds the scenes and incidents of pioneer 
life in this great and growing State, to which people from all parts of the world are looking 
with the same anxious and eager anticipation of at some time making us a visit, as they 
did in the days of gold and the days of '49. 

" Flowers of the tropics grow to perfection and in abundance. What could be more fitting 
than for the old Pioneers who crossed the plains forty years ago, and came off the desert into 
the beautiful San Bernardino valley, to revisit the place where they rested their weary horses 
and cattle several months before setting out for Sutter's Fort, from which place they expected 
to fit themselves out with supplies, and delve for the bright, bright gold, which was then to be 
found in every stream, but which is now growing on trees here in San Bernardino county. 

" It is earnestly hoped that the citizens of San Bernardino will lay all business aside to-morrow 
afternoon during the three hours that the Pioneers will remain in this city, and repair to the 
City Park with their wives and families, and assist in giving the California Pioneers of New 
England such a reception as will cause San Bernardino always to be a pleasant toj^ic of 
conversation among them when they return to their homes in the East. 

" The committees from the Pioneers and from the Native Sons and Native Daughters have 
arranged the following programme: — 

" The three societies will form at the depot at the corner of E and First streets, and receive 
the Pioneers. The procession will then be formed as follows, and march up E street to the 
City Park. 
I. Band. 



Children of the Public Schools. 
Native Sons of the Golden West. 
Native Daughters of the Golden West. 
New England Pioneers. 
San Bernardino Pioneers. 
Citizens of San Bernardino. 
Open order at entrance to the park. 

PROGRAMME AT THE PARK. 

1. Music Band 

2. Prayer Rev. John Morrison 

3. Music Band 

4. Welcome Address George Lord, President Pioneers 

5. Response New England Pioneers 

6. Address William Heap 

7. Address Native Sons of the Golden West 

8. Address Native Daughters of the Golden West 

9. Speeches New England Pioneers 

10. Address N. P. Earp 

1 1. Poem Mrs. Hopkins 



32 PIONEERS OF '49. 

" At the close of the programme the procession will re-form and march back to the train as 
an escort to the visiting Pioneers. 

" A committee of twelve will leave this evening for Barstow to receive the Pioneers." 

The Times-Index of Thursday, April 17, contained the following: — 

" The programme arranged for the reception of the New England Pioneers has been 
knocked out by the delay in the arrival of the train ; consequently our citizens generally are 
invited to be at the depot this afternoon at five o'clock to receive the visitors. 

" Let all who can go and receive them." 

Flags floated from every building, and all day the streets were crowded with patriotic Cali- 
fornians eager to welcome the New England '49ers. Every house in town was decorated 
gayly with festoons of flowers, and the day v/as made a gala one long to be remembered. 

The Daily Coicrier of April 18 stated, among many other things : — 

"The excursion of the New England Society of California Pioneers arrived in the city last 
night at six o'clock, six hours late ; but it was not an impatient crowd assembled to greet 
them on their arrival, but an intensely enthusiastic one. 

" At noon yesterday it was announced that the train would be here at five o'clock sharp, and 
the different societies met at the City Hall at four o'clock. At 4.30 the band arrived, and the 
procession formed. The ladies were all escorted to the street cars on Third street, four 
having been provided for their use, besides a large number of carriages. 

" The Pioneers and Native Sons then formed in line, and, headed by the Ninth Regiment 
Band, with banners, began the march to the depot. At the depot the children of the public 
schools were in line, under charge of Professor N. A. Richardson and his corps of teachers, 
about 500 of the little ones being present, and every one carrying a large hand bouquet to 
present to the excursionists. 

" The Native Daughters and the wives of the Pioneers had been detailed to gather flowers, 
and such a mass was on hand that the question arose as to how to dispose of them. Large 
baskets were filled with beautiful roses of every hue, thickly interspersed with orange 
blossoms. 

"The train arrived at 6.10 p. m., and, as it slowly steamed into the depot, the air rang with 
the shouts of the crowd, answered by waving handkerchiefs and warm smiles from the car 
windows." 

The Times-Index of April 18 reported : — 

"The delay in the arrival of the train bringing the Pioneers caused yesterday afternoon's 
programme to be abandoned, and all were invited to be at the depot, where it was thought but 
a few minutes would be allowed our people to receive and welcome the old Argonauts from 
New England. 

" As the train rounded the curve, coming up in front of the depot, a deafening shout of 
welcome went up from about 1,500 throats, and it was answered from the train by shouts from 
the Pioneers, and by the waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies ; and as the visitors descended 
from the train they were showered with roses and flowers from the hands of the school 
children, and they literally walked on roses from the cars to the platform, where they were 
presented hand bouquets by the Native Daughters, and by the wives of the San Bernardino 
Pioneers. 

"As soon as a little order could be obtained, the New England Pioneers formed a line and 
marched down the track to a truck, upon which was seated George Lord, president of the 
San Bernardino Pioneers, surrounded by the products of our valley — oranges, lemons, wine, 
and flowers. 



iri^w^77^rrr~ssfs 




/^ '^h 




HON. GEORGE LORD, SR. 



SAJf BERMARDIJfO BECEPTIOM. 33 

" Mr. Lord was introduced by Dave Wixom, and in a few words extended a hearty welcome 
to the visitors, which was responded to briefly by Captain Thomes, president of the New 
England Pioneers. 

"It was then announced that the Pioneers would remain in San Bernardino over night, and 
that a reception would be tendered them at the Opera House at 7.30 o'clock. This announce- 
ment was received with cheers, and the large assembly dispersed to their homes to prepare 
for the reception. 

"At 7.30 o'clock the Opera House was filled with our citizens to its utmost capacity, and 
hundreds were unable to obtain admittance. The stage was set with chairs, upon which were 
seated the president, secretary, and directors of the N. E. Association, the officers of the S. 
B. Pioneers, the Rev. John Morrison, and others ; back of these, who were all seated, stood 
the N. S. G. W., decked in their brilliant regalias, forming a very pretty stage grouping." 

The elegant banners of the Pioneers, and of the N. S, G. W. were placed at each side of the 
stage, while beneath them rested a handsome basket of flowers. 

At eight o'clock President Lord called the meeting to order, and requested the audience to 
stand and sing "America," which they did ; and we venture to say that never before was the 
grand old song rendered with such vim and heartfelt earnestness, there being no feelings of 
restraint, and all singing as though they were members of one family. 

After the singing, Rev. John Morrison delivered a short but impressive prayer, in which he 
invoked a blessing upon the old Pioneers who, after a period of forty years, returned to the 
scenes of their early manhood. 

John Brown, Jr., then introduced George Lord, Sr., the president of the society, who 
addressed the audience as follows : — " Mr. President of the N. E. Pioneers, ladies and gentle- 
men : It is with more than common pleasure that I meet you here this evening, and I have 
never responded with more pleasure to a call to speak than I do at this moment. Forty years 
ago, when you were crossing the ocean, coming to this fair land to delve for gold, you did not 
meet with such a welcome as is offered you here to-night ; after trials and struggles you 
secured what you came for, and returned to your New England homes to live the balance of 
your lives in plenty with your families. We who remained here thought that if the Lord 
was generous enough to fill our mountains with gold that he was generous enough to furnish 
soil in our valleys that would yield the golden fruit; and we remained here, and have tilled the 
soil, and now, at the end of forty years, we have a land filled with fruits and flowers, and 
thousands of happy homes, and thousands of bright and happy school children, many of whom 
were at the depot to welcome you this afternoon. Here, now, you see fair woman in all her 
regal splendor ; then you would walk miles to see a woman's bonnet hung upon a pole. You 
and I remember when we paid fifty cents for just such a sight. I can't express in language 
the welcome that I, on behalf of the Pioneers and the people of San Bernardino, desire to 
extend to you. This land, when last you saw it, was a desert ; now it is teeming with fruits and 
flowers, and with a warm welcome from the hearts of its people that is far more precious than 
gold. Again I welcome you to San Bernardino." 

President Thomes replied: — "Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen: Forty years ago 
cloudy wings expanded about us, and for forty years have we waited for such an event as this; 
for forty years have we anticipated this visit to the scenes where we spent so much time in 
hardship and toil, and now we find that you who have remained, and those who came after us, 
have made California the foremost State in the Union. I am truly happy to be with you to- 
night, and feel that here I am standing upon historic ground. It was here that the Franciscan 
monks established their missions for the conversion of the Indians. I thank God that there 



34 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

is such a place as California, and such a place as San Bernardino county, which is furnishing 
the rich and the poor alike in the great East with cheap oranges and other fruits and wines. 
And the poor, the rich, and the sick of all this large country thank God for all the blessings 
which come from the glorious State of California. As I came through your county to-day, I 
felt ashamed to think that San Bernardino county is larger than my whole State. We did not 
come here to talk, but to listen to you. We know what you want, but we don't want you to 
have your wish ; you want our people to come here and live with you, but we can't spare them. 
A few years ago our eastern farms were worth f.200 and $300 per acre ; now they are deserted, 
and their former owners are residents of California. We don't want you to get our people, but, 
confound you, you are taking them from us by thousands every year; but take us if you will, 
but we suffer. We are proud of you, however, for we helped to make you. I came here in 
1843, and left here in 1845. Time has dealt lightly with us, not a hair has fallen from our 
heads, nor has a gray hair crept in among our dark locks. We prize the reception that has 
been given us here to-night, and shall recount it to our children when we get home, and have 
them tell the story to our grandchildren, if we are ever fortunate enough to have any.'' 

Miss Lizzie Felter, of La Paloma Parlor, N. D. G. W., then read the following address to 
the visiting Pioneers in behalf of the N. D. G. W. : — "Visiting Pioneers of California: 
On behalf of the Native Daughters of the Golden West, I welcome you to the land of sun- 
shine and flowers, of which you are the honored forefathers, and particularly to San Bernar- 
dino city. Be assured, dear Pioneers, we take great pleasure in meeting you, and perpetuat- 
ing the friendship we ever hold for the sires of California. 

"You laid the foundation for the grandest State in the Union, and the Native Daughters will 
ever cherish the priceless gift. You produced the golden colors, now we raise golden fruit; 
once you rocked the cradle, now the Native Daughters mind the rocker too. We hold you in 
grateful memory for the hardships you endured, the results you achieved, and for the Cali- 
fornia of to-day. Again we bid you a hearty welcome, and sincerely regret that your limited 
time prevents us from extending to you that hospitality proverbial to Cahfornians." 

" Auld Lang Syne " was then sung by the audience, after which W. A. Nash made a speech 
of welcome in behalf of the Native Sons, warmly extending the hospitality of the city to the 
honored guests. 

Hon. B. F. Whittemore, secretary of the New England Pioneers, next addressed the audi- 
ence as follows : " I assure you that words are inadequate to express my feelings upon such 
an occasion as this, and ever since meeting your delegates on the desert I have felt that 
inspiration of the warm welcome that was in store for our party upon their arrival in San Ber- 
nardino. It was a pleasure, after an absence of forty years, to return here and find the land 
covered with fruits and flowers, and such a prosperous, happy, and generous-hearted people. 
I visited California three years ago with the G. A. R. boys, and was prepared for the warm 
reception that I knew was in store for the New England Pioneers ; and when I think of the 
day we started, I see vividly one member of our society whom you will all remember when 
I mention his name, John Conness, as he stood upon the platform, and with tears streaming 
down his cheeks, said : ' Tell the people of California that I cuuld not go out and see them, 
but I send them and dear old California my blessing.' We have in Boston a society of Cali- 
ionia Pioneers numbering 380 members, and we meet on the last Wednesday of each month 
and transact our business, and then have a grand banquet, where we talk over old times and 
of the future of this great State. On the 9th of September, Admission Day, we have a 
grand celebration, and then our hearts long for California. Whea we return in July, we are 
going to have the largest hall in Boston, where we will meet to tell thousands of people of our 



MR. WHITTEMORE'S SOJ^G. 35 

trip to California and what we have seen here ; for we promised them that we would, and every 
one of the party will be particular to tell of San Bernardino and the warm reception given us 
by its most hospitable of people, of its beautiful orange groves, and of its lovely flowers. 
Again, on behalf of the New England Society of California Pioneers, I thank you for this 
warm and heartfelt reception; and when I get home I shall advise all our young men and young 
women to come to California and live forever in Paradise. I cannot stay here, for if I did I 
know that I should renew my youth." 

John Brown, Jr., secretary of the San Bernardino Pioneers, was next introduced, and made 
a brief speech, in which he extolled the virtue of California as a State, and of San Bernardino 
as a jewel in the crown of her counties. He stated that this meeting was a union of New 
England and California; and it was meet that such a union should take place, for New 
England was the birthplace of American liberty, and were it not for New England California 
would not now exist. He then extended to the visiting Pioneers a hearty welcome to this 
land of sunshine and plenty, and hoped that many of them would again return to San 
Bernardino county. 

This was a momentous occasion, — it might be said an inspiring occasion, — and, while we 
have a grand State, yet we cling to the doctrine implanted at Plymouth Rock by the Pilgrims. 
Coming down the mountain with the snow-clad peaks in plain sight, and the beauties of the 
valley spread out as in a panorama, Mr. Whittemore, he said, had penned a song, and he 
called upon that gentleman to sing it for the audience. Mr. Whittemore responded, and, with 
the assistance of the ladies of the party, sang the following, to the tune of " Beulah Land " : — 

We 've entered now the Golden State, 
Where warmest welcomes for us wait — 
The land where corn and oil and wine 
Are free and plenty as sunshhie. 

Chorus. 

Oh ! golden land, proud golden land ! 
We hail our welcomes, and our hand 
Is given now with right good will 
To those who greet us, for we still 
Remember that in '49 
' We had no oil, nor corn, nor wine. 

San Bernardino leads the van 
With fruits delicious, and we can 
But tell them what our hearts now feel, 
And wish them joy, long life, and weal. 

The ladies and the children sweet, 
Who gladden us with smiles, and greet 
The veterans of '49, 
For them we ask for bliss divine. 

God bless the ties that henceforth bind 
Old Argonauts, and may we find 
This happy hour, in all our years 
The pleasantest for Pioneers. 



36 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

We had some splendid singing that evening. Songs were distributed, on slips headed : 

1849. Welcome to Our 1890. 

NEW ENGLAND PIONEERS, 

BY THE 

San Bernardino Pioneers. 



PIONEER SONGS. 

Among the songs were " My Old Kentucky Home," "The Girl I Left Behind Me," " Old 
Folks at Home," " Auld Lang Syne," and the two following, which I copy, as being less widely 
known : — 

THE DAYS OF FORTY-NINE. 

Here you see old Tom Moore, 

A relic of by-gone days; 
A bummer, too, they call me now, 

But what care I for praise } 
For my heart is filled with woe, 

And I often grieve and pine 
For the days of old, the days of gold, 

The days of '49. 
For the days of gold, the days of old, 

The days of '49. 

I had comrades then — a saucy set; 

They were rough, I must confess, 
Bui staunch and brave, as true as steel. 

Like hunters from the west; 
But they, like many another fish. 

Have now run out their line ; 
But like good old bricks, they stood the kicks 

Of the days of '49. 
Of the good old bricks they stood the kicks 

Of the days of '49. 

There was Monte Pete ; I '11 ne'er forget 

The luck that he always had. 
He 'd deal for you both night and day, 

Or as long as you had a scad. 
One night a pistol laid him out ; 

'T was his last lay-out, in fine ; 
It caught Pete sure, right bang in the door, 

In the days of '49. 

There was another chap from New Orleans, 

Big Reuben was his name. 
On the plaza there, with a sardine box. 

He opened a faro game. 



THE DAYS OF FORTY-JflJ^E. 37 

He dealt so fair that a millionaire 

He became in course of time, 
Till death stepped in and called the turn 

In the days of '49. 

There was Kentuck Bill, one of the boys 

Who was always in for a game. 
No matter whether he lost or won, 

To him 't was all the same. 
He 'd ante a slug ; he 'd pass the buck ; 

He 'd go a hatful blind. 
In a game of death Bill lost his breath 

In the days of '49. 

There was New York Jake, the butcher boy, 

So fond of getting tight. 
Whenever Jake got full of gin 

He was looking for a fight. 
One night he ran against a knife 

In the hands of old Bob Kline, 
And over Jake we had a wake 

In the days of '49. 

There was North Carolina Jess, a hard old case, 

Who never would repent. 
Jess was never known to miss a meal, 

Or ever pay a cent. 
But poor old Jess, like all the rest, 

To death did at last resign, 
And in his bloom he went up the flume 

In the days of '49. 

There was Rackensack Jim, who could out-roar 

A buffalo bull, you bet. 
He roared all night ; he roared all day ; 

He may be roaring yet. 
One night he fell in a prospect hole, — 

'T was a roaring bad design, — 
And in that hole Jim roared out his soul 

In the days of '49. 

Of all the comrades I had then 

There 's none left now but me, 
And the only thing I 'm fitting for 

Is a senator to be. 
The people cry, as I pass by, 

" There goes a traveling sign ; 
That 's old Tom Moore, a bummer sure. 

Of the days of '49." 



38 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 

Since that time how things have changed 

In this land of liberty ! 
Darkies didn't vote nor plead in court, 

Nor rule this country ; 
But the Chinese question, the worst of all, 

In those days did not shine. 
For the country was right and the boys all white 

In the days of '49. 

JOE BOWERS. 

My name it is Joe Bowers ; I 've got a brother Ike ; 
I came from old Missouri, all the way from Pike ; 
I '11 tell you why I left thar, and why I came to roam, 
And leave my poor old mammy so far away from home. 

I used to court a gal there; her name was Sally Black; 
I asked her if she 'd marry me, she said it was a whack ; 
Says she to me, " Joe Bowers, before we hitch for life. 
You ought to get a little home to keep your little wife." 

" Oh, Sally ! dearest Sally ! oh, Sally ! for your sake 

I '11 go to California and try to raise a stake." 

Says she to me, " Joe Bowers, you are the man to win ; 

Here's a kiss to bind the bargain," and she hove a dozen in. 

When I got into that country I had n't " nary red," 

I had such wolfi'sh feelings, I wished myself 'most dead; 

But the thoughts of my dear Sally soon made them feelings git 

And whispered hopes to Bowers ; I wish I had 'em yit. 

At length I went to mining, put in my biggest licks. 
Went down upon the boulders just like a thousand bricks. 
I worked both late and early, in rain, in sun, in snow ; 
I was working for my Sally; 'twas all the same to Joe. 

Mr. Whittemore then stated that there was among the visitors an old Pioneer who had won 
his spurs during the Black Hawk war, and introduced General Samuel A. Chapin, who was 
received with an outburst of applause that was continued for several minutes. 

The general then made one of the grandest and most feeling addresses that was ever 
listened to by any audience, and it was, though short, as follows: — "Mr. President, ladies 
and gentlemen: It is really out of order to ask me to speak, as it was not on the 
programme. Our president and secretary were elected to do all the talking and to 
keep the fires burning, and they have almost caused a conflagration with their speeches 
and singing; and I did not anticipate speaking. I am trying to harness together forty years 
ago and to-day, to-night. I remember vividly the day I landed in San Francisco Bay ; it was 
on Sunday, and 1 heard that there was to be preaching there somewhere in the hall devoted 
to justice — the court house, I think. I found it and went in, and there were two ladies there, 
and I crowded my way up to them until I was within two feet of them, and that was as close 
as I dared to go ; and, oh ! what joy it was when one of them asked me to share her hymn- 



DEATH OF QEMERAL OBAPIM. 30 

book with her, and, oh ! how we did sing ; oh ! such grand hymns. Many old Californians 
will remember the dear lady, who was the wife of Judge Walla ; I always kept up an intimate 
acquaintance with her there until she went back to her old home in Vermont and died. 
Ladies were scarce in California then, and you would have to run around two blocks to get a 
sight of one. This greeting is superior to anything I have ever known; and I was never so 
affected in all my life as I was when we arrived in your city this evening, and were met by 500 
children who showered flowers upon us, and the girls who loaded us down with bouquets. My 
son and I have innumerable bouquets in our drawing-room in the car, which we will nurse up 
so carefully until we get to San Francisco. Oh ! your oranges, flowers, and fruits are so fine 
and beautiful ! but the sentiment, the friendship of the children, affected me so much ! No 
party of excursionists could ever receive such a welcome as we have had, and it shows the 
careful training of the children of San Bernardino, by their mothers and fathers, when such 
thoughts. of friendship and love and hospitality are being inculcated into their young minds. 
I love little girls dearly, and the larger ones in proportion. I endorse every word that has 
been said by our speakers about California, and our welcome from the people of San Bernar- 
dino. We Pioneers of 1849 never realized the possibilities and grand future of this State, 
and you who are living here now cannot comprehend the glorious future that is in store for 
your State. I want to thank you, — yes, as I am a director of the association, I have a right 
to thank you on behalf of the society for this welcome ; and when we return, forty years from 
now, I want to see these same little girls grown up. This welcome will always be cherished 
by me as a happy memory, and may God bless you all ! " 

His speech was listened to with rapt attention, and at its close the house fairly rang with 
applause, and a bouquet was thrown him from the audience, which he inhaled as he took his 
seat. 

Secretary Whittemore then stepped forward and said that the general might have added 
that his children were born in California, and that he was now anxiously awaiting his arrival 
in San Francisco, where he expected to see for the first time his grandchildren. At this 
juncture it was noticed that the general's head had fallen upon his breast, and at first it was 
thought that he had fainted; but Drs. Fleming, McDonald, and Owens, who were at his side 
immediately, at once pronounced him dead. He died with a smile on his lips, and, if ever a 
man died happy, it was he. 

The programme, which was only about half finished, and which promised to be a feast of 
reason and a flow of wit, was suddenly terminated in sorrow. 

The audience was then dismissed, and filed out of the house in a very orderly manner, all 
stricken with sadness and awe at this termination of the reception. Just as the crowd began 
to move, a young lady fainted, and the only way to get her quickly into the fresh air was 
through a window, about six feet from the ground. John Russell, of Boston, let her drop, and 
she was caught in a very graceful manner by a gentleman below, as was also a lady friend, one 
of the guests. Revival was rapid in the open air. 

General Chapin's son, who had remained in the cars, was sent for and arrived in a few 
minutes after the death of his father, when his sorrow was pitiful to behold. 

The remains were removed to the Grand Rapids undertaking establishment to be embalmed, 
and sent East with the beautiful flowers the veteran prized so highly. 

The above gives the reception from the San Bernardino point of view, and I will add a few 
thoughts suggested by our experience. As we stepped upon the platform the resident ladies 
handed large bouquets to ours, and pinned smaller ones on the lapels of our coats. After the 
first reception at the truck, we were driven through the city, headed by bands of music, the 



40 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

scene looking much like a triumphal procession of ancient days. The ladies of our party were 
particularly pleased, and opened their eyes in wonder and admiration as we passed through 
the beautiful streets and avenues, every house on which was fronted by its green lawn, 
embowered in trees. Every resident seemed to have taken a particular interest in our party. 
During the evening several scenes were created by the meeting of old friends long separated. 
A basket of large oranges was handed up to the platform at the Opera House, to be presented 
to the oldest man among the visiting Pioneers ; but Captain Thomes told them there were no 
old men in our party. True, there was one gentleman from Boston in his eighty-first year, but 
in actions he was still a boy. A magnificent bouquet was offered for the oldest lady, but all 
declared there were no old ladies. Words cannot fully describe the glorious outpouring of 
friendship and love by our hosts. When hand touched hand, hearts touched also, and the 
flashing eye revealed the chasm of forty years spanned in a moment. I sat close by General 
Chapin when he retired amid a storm of applause, in the midst of which a handsome bouquet 
was thrown him. He stooped down and picked it up, and, with a beautiful smile, placed it to 
his nostrils, inhaling its sweet perfume, and, with the smile still on his lips, half sank into his 
chair, falling then to the floor, dead. 

Coming as it did, his death was most impressive. It calls the attention of California, in a 
most forcible way, to the fact that the men who saw the great rush of gold-seekers and helped 
to make the early history of the State, are fast passing away : and that before many years 
there will be few who can speak of those wonderful scenes as eye-witnesses. There is a bright 
side to death, even, when, as in this case, the summons comes to not only a Pioneer of a State, 
but one who was also a Pioneer in all the good works that reflect credit upon mankind. He 
possessed, in a high degree, the characteristics of the men who opened the Golden Gate to the 
world; and his former friends in the State, and those nearer and dearer to him in the East, can 
but find satisfaction in the thought that, while a friend has fallen by the wayside, he lingers in 
their memories as a type of true manhood, — a Christian gentleman. 

San Bernardino, where we were so royally entertained, is the oldest purely American town 
in Southern California. Originally founded by Jesuits, but occupied permanently by Mormons 
in 1851 as a branch of the Salt Lake colony, it was laid out as a town in 1853, on the creation 
of the county of San Bernardino, the largest in the United States, half as large as New York, 
and eighteen times as large as Rhode Island. 

In 1876 the railroad was completed to Colton, and a little more than ten years later the 
Atchison road made its entry into San Bernardino, making that place its headquarters. 

Under the influence of the trafiic thus created, together with the stimulus given by the rapid 
development of the surrounding country, San Bernardino grew rapidly, and to-day is a city of 
very nearly 10,000 inhabitants, and boasts of public improvements which put it in the front 
rank of progressive communities. It is the railroad centre of the county. 

A marked feature of the city is the abundance of artesian water which is found everywhere 
in this part of the valley. Several hundred wells have been sunk, varying in depth from 100 
to 400 feet, and in nearly every case an abundant supply of water of the purest kind has been 
found. Many gardens and small farms are thus supplied for irrigation, and living streams 
from these sources run in every direction. 

In visiting San Bernardino one cannot but be struck with the number of handsome private 
residences, as well as the churches and schools seen on every hand. The city has recently 
completed a pavilion, the largest of the kind in this part of the State. It is located in the 
centre of the public park, and is as ornamental as it is useful. Indeed, in nearly every 
structure erected of late years, pleasing effects have been sought. 



WHAT CAME OF A BOUQUET. 41 

Not only is the county out of debt, but it has a cash balance to its credit of nearly a hundred 
thousand dollars. 

San Bernardino supports two flour mills, two planing mills, gas and electric-light works, a 
large foundry, a public library, a fine opera house, four public schools, and a great variety of 
religious and benevolent organizations. During the season the shipments of dried and fresh 
fruit from the section immediately tributary to the town are very large, the income thus 
derived being no small addition to the prosperity of the place. 

One incident of many will illustrate the pleasure with which the reception is recalled by the 
people there and by our party. 

To a bouquet handed C. T. Stumcke by a school girl of some twelve summers was attached 
by a silk ribbon a card on which was written " N. D. G. W. Alice E. Bean, San Bernardino " ; 
and on the opposite side " Welcome ! The days of old, the days of gold, the days of 
'49." When Christmas drew near, Mr. Stumcke mailed a beautiful book, a pamphlet of our 
society, and a letter to the above address. At our December meeting, which was held at the 
Crawford House, Boston, on the last day of 1890, Mr. Stumcke read the following: — 

San Bernardino, Cal., Dec. 22, 1890. 

Mr. Charles T. Sttifiicke, Boston, Mass. — 

Dear Sir : On Wednesday last my father brought home a package, when, on opening it, I 
found it to be a book with a card lying on it, which bore your name ; but as I did not know you 
I was more puzzled than before ; but you cannot imagine my surprise and delight when I read 
what you had written in the book. 

Little did I think that bouquet of flowers and the card with what was written on it would be 
the means of bringing me such a nice present. You have my thanks many times over. It 
will always be kept and cherished with the memories of the Pioneers of this beautiful State; 

The day after I received the book I received your letter with the pamphlet. Thank you 
very much for the pamphlet. I read it with great interest. I can see the Pioneers now coming 
in at the depot, and what a pleasure it was to give them the flowers. 

I showed everybody the book, and, as one lady said, was too proud to keep it at home. I 
shall take the first opportunity to read it. I am very fond of reading, and take pleasure in 
books. 

I should like one of your photographs, if it be not asking too much, and I will send you one 
of mine when I have them taken. 

I will close now, thanking you again. 

Very respectfully yours, 

Alice E. Bean. 

189 Seventh street, San Bernardino, Cal. 

It would have done our western friends good to see the eager attention with which the read- 
ing of this letter was received by the men of '49. 

On one of the bouquets received by Mrs. Ball and myself was a card on which was written 
" Bertha Allen, San Bernardino, Cal." To that address will be mailed the first copy of this 
book, as soon as it leaves the hands of the binders. 



42 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER VI. 



RIVERSIDE, REDLANDS, AND THE RAYMOND. 



The rudiments of empire here 
Are plastic yet and warm ; 

The chaos of a miglity world 
Is rounding into form ! 



■ Whittier. 



NEXT morning, Friday, April i8, we left the San Bernardino garden of flowers and fruits, 
for a trip on the Santa Fe road to Redlands. A number of San Bernardino Pioneers 
accompanied us, and joined with us in resolutions on the death of General Chapin, which are 
given in connection with the memorial services at Pasadena. Behind us are the snowy peaks 
of the Rockies, and before us and around us a land of summer sunshine and flowers in bloom, 
and fruitage throughout the year. We were met by Pioneers and citizens in fine turn-outs to 
carry us to the " Terrace Villa," where Landlord Sloan had prepared an appetizing breakfast, 
which we enjoyed to the utmost. 

The hotel had been most beautifully decorated with flowers for the occasion. There were 
garlands and wreaths, and bouquets and streamers, and great ropes of flowers and bouton- 
nieres, and loose flowers by the wagon load everywhere. The whole place seemed to be turned 
into a regular flower palace in order to do honor to the occasion. 

After breakfast we were ushered into sixty-five carriages in waiting, and taken for a drive over 
the beautiful and romantic valley. There was an attempt to follow a certain route, but con- 
tinual side excursions were made to suit us, the guests of the day. They drove east and south 
and west and north, until we had seen it all. And it is needless to say that the enchantment 
of the scene called forth many expressions of delight, and that the memory of that drive will 
linger for years. 

There were flowers everywhere, and especially no end of roses. There were orange trees 
loaded so they had to be propped, here and there, grove after grove, about thirty acres or more 
in each. It was a long drive, but we did not tire of looking at one long succession of laden 
groves and blooming parterres. Who could grow tired of 

" Orange trees. 
Whose fruit and blossoms in the breeze, 
Were wantoning together free. 
Like age at play with infancy ? " 

Redlands is a recently incorporated town, with nearly 3,000 inhabitants, whose lands are 
irrigated with water from the mountains. Four years ago the town was hardly known, while 
now it is one of the most desirable fruit-growing sections in Southern California, possessing 
some of the most luxuriant orange groves in the State. Everything here is neat and attractive,. 



REDLAXDS. 



43 



and besides the luxuriant basin of the town proper there are high surrounding hills which are 
being transformed into gardens and slopes of perpetual bloom. The twin Smiley Brothers, of 
Lake Mohonk, N. Y., proprietors of the Mohonk and the Minnewaska Hotels in that State, 
have bought an extensive tract here which they have named Smiley Heights, upon which they 
are producing beautiful effects in landscape gardening. One of them had a party of five 

driving our com- 
pany around; and 
when we got upon 
the hill where there 
were some 250 
Chinamen building 
roads and a foun- 
tain, we met Mr. 
Smiley, whom I 
knew when the 
brothers kept the Friends' School at Prov- 
idence, R. L, where my son Eugene was 
killed by an accidental fall while at play. 
We had a long talk, in which their plans 
were explained. The work they are doing 
is simply marvelous, and there seems to be 
no counting of cost. We were fortunate in 
being driven over these beautiful hills and 
through this charming valley by a citizen 
who knew everybody and everything there. 
Everywhere, he said, the houses, like those 
we saw, were set in from the street, sur- 
rounded by flower gardens, many of them 
partially covered with roses, and nearly all 
having trees along the street in place of 
fences. Here we had a light sprinkling of 
rain, but were told there would be no more 
until October or November. The streets 
were watered. The reddish hue of the earth gives the place its name. 

The business portion of the town is built entirely of brick, two and three story structures 
being the rule ; and the effect, as can be readily imagined, is of the finest. There are three 
first-class hotels, an opera house, and large business establishments of every kind, including 
two banks, many general merchandise stores, etc. 

An enterprise which has made the name of Redlands familiar, and one, indeed, upon whicli 
the very existence of the place itself is largely dependent, is the Bear valley reservoir. In 
theincipiency of the task undertaken for the reclamation of this section, it became apparent 
that some method of impounding the water that ran to waste in the winter must be devised; 
and a search in the mountains to the north discovered a valley that had every appearance of 
having once been the site of a lake, which had been drained by some great convulsion of 
nature. It was found that by the construction of a dam across the chasm through which the 
water had escaped, the lake could be restored ; and, in the face of the greatest difficulty, this 
task was undertaken. A curved stone wall, sixty feet in height and about 400 in length, with 




VINEYARD IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



44 



PIOJVEEES OF '49. 



a maximum thickness of twenty feet and a minimum of four, was accordingly built across the 
canon, the water being allowed to accumulate behind it as the wall was built. By this means 
a lake or reservoir between five and six miles in length, and from 400 feet to a mile and a half 
in width, was created, the average depth being twelve feet. The water thus impounded is dis- 
charged, as occasion requires, into Bear Creek, and thence into the Santa Ana River. At the 
mouth of the canon, eighteen miles below the reservoir, stone-lined ditches take the water to 
the borders of the Redlands settlement, where it is diverted into pipes, and thus carried 
wherever desired. Although the dam, in its exceedingly slender proportions, has been pro- 
nounced impracticable by many engineers, it has stood for years, and promises to stand 
for all time. From the commencement it has been a success ; and, by the aid of the water thus 
furnished, thousands of acres of land, once valueless, have been made highly productive. 

How the people vied with each other in 
courtesy ! Mr. Scipio Craig, editor of the 
CitrograpJt, breaking a hitherto inflexible 
rule by issuing his paper one day in advance, 
that we might take copies with us ! They 
have taught us a lesson, too, while entertain- 
ing us ; for they have shown us what grit, 
pluck, and enterprise can do in these latter 
days. As we compare their pioneering with 
that of the '40's, 
we see that their 
achievements are as 
worthy of recogni- 
tion as ours, albeit 
in an entirely dif- 
ferentdirection. We 
leave with almost 
irresistible longings 
to return and live 
out our allotted span 
amid the scenes of 
beauty around us. 

At 11.30 all were 
assembled at the 
Terrace Villa for 
dinner, and then 
the cry was " all 
aboard," and the 

train started for Riverside, where we spent the afternoon. On the cars, as we were returning, 
John Brown, Jr., introduced his father, a grand, old-fashioned man, over eighty years of age, 
active and well preserved. He was a trapper, and well acquainted with all the Rocky Moun- 
tain region long before Fremont's expeditions. His reminiscences were very interesting, and 
his parting words were like a benediction. 

Riverside is older than Redlands and most of the other valley towns, and of course has 
therein some advantage in development. It is an earthly paradise of orange orchards, vine- 
yards, and gardens; and one of our number said that he would be satisfied to take it as his 




ORANGE GROVE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 



RIVE B SIDE. 45 

heaven. Rev. T. K. Beecher calls it "a garden-plat, ten miles long." There are over loo 
miles of irrigating ditches within the town, and, in addition to the fruit and vegetable 
industries, a few beautiful farms devoted to mixed crops. One of these belonged to a wealthy 
Friend, who took several of the party in his private carriage. I was fortunate in having for a 
driver a real-estate agent named Russell, who took us on Magnolia avenue, twelve miles long 
and 132 feet wide, ornamented on either side with magnolia trees, and divided into two broad 
pathways by a row of pepper trees in the centre. Our carriages are filled with flowers by kind 
friends, for us to enjoy as we ride. To the right, seemingly near, we clearly see the San Ber- 
nardino Mountains, their towering peaks glistening with snow; but, like many other beautiful 
things, they are deceptive and distant. Such orange orchards and such shade trees as we saw 
on that drive ! One rose bush, several feet high and four inches through, was a beautiful sight, 
with its wealth of fragrant blossoms. We were told of the activity of the real-estate market, 
and do not wonder thereat. We visit an orange packing-house, where we see some rapid 
work, and are invited to eat all we want. 

Nowhere in all California can a better idea be formed of the possibilities that inhere in the 
application of water to an apparent desert. Twenty years ago the site of Riverside was an 
utterly barren plain. It was used as a sheejD range, but was so ill adapted for even that pur- 
pose that the land was considered practically valueless. On all these thousands of acres not a 
single family found a sustenance. 

To-day there is gathered here a population of over 6,000 persons. Upward of 9,000 acres 
are planted with oranges and other fruits. The present orange crop will reach some 1,800 car 
loads, valued at $1,500,000, while another million was paid for the other fruits produced last 
year. As a community the people of Riverside are more wealthy than any like number any- 
where else in the world. Incomes of $500 to $1,000 an acre annually are frequent, and a 
more attractive aggregation of handsome homes cannot be found. Yet it is only a few 
years since the owner of the land where all this has been accomplished refused to pay 
taxes upon it, so utterly unproductive and worthless was it. To-day, what is still unim- 
proved of the vast tract, covering some 18,000 acres, cannot be purchased for less than 
$350 to $400 an acre, while improved places readily bring $2,000, and even more for 
each acre. 

During the year 1890 Riverside shipped 1,491 car loads of oranges, 222,994 boxes of 
raisins, and an immense quantity of dried and fresh fruits of various kinds. As already 
said, the income from the orchards and vineyards of this section for the year amounted to 
$2,500,000. 

The transformation that has been effected here since the days when the poor, half-starved 
sheep and their forlorn herders wandered over this plain, — less than twenty years ao-o, — is 
entirely due to two elements — brains and water. From the Santa Ana River, close at hand, 
canals were constructed, and the water diverted. 

Some sixty acres of artesian land are owned by the district, costing an average of $500 an 
acre. The water from that sixty acres will, however, make between 3,000 and 4,000 acres of 
land that is now practically valueless worth from $300 to $500 an acre. The cost of develop- 
ment and delivering the water on this land will be about $60 an acre. 

The incorporated limits cover fifty-six square miles; there is no city debt; the assessed 
valuation is $4,588,890; the rate of city tax is 55 cents on the $100; there are eio-ht 
school buildings, valued at $100,000, and attended by 1,200 pupils, with twenty-two teachers; 
there are twelve churches, valued at $150,000; the Young Men's Christian Association has its 
own building, worth $20,000; there is a free public library, with 3,500 volumes; there are 



46 



PIOJ^EEBS OF '40. 



fifteen miles of street-car lines, five miles of cement sidewalks, 175 miles of streets, 175 miles of 
irrigating canals, and forty miles of pipe-lines ; and all this where twenty years ago was a miser- 
ably poor sheep range ! 




Our train has advanced, meanwhile, to a more convenient station, and we reach it at 6.00 
r. M. Mrs. Ball, Mrs. Higbee and I wish to pay our kind driver, but Mr. Russell will not take 
a cent. " No," said he, " I have been here about nine years, and have driven thousands of 



AT THE BAYMOKD. 47 

people through these streets, and never charged a cent ; and I am not going to take pay now 
from a '49er." The whistle blows, and, with regret, we bid adieu to another Eden. 

After a run of some fifty miles through the beautiful San Gabriel valley, teeming with tropi- 
cal fruits and flowers, with a light breeze wafting their perfume into our car windows until it 
seemed as if we were breathing naught but orange blossoms and roses, we reached Pasadena 
about half-past seven. I was much impressed by the earnestness of one of our party, who 
told how he and others had hunted jack-rabbits here in 1S49, to eke out their scanty supply of 
provisions. "And only to think," he said, "how we hurried through this section and left it 
without once imagining its possibilities ! We were literally as bad as Yankee Doodle, who 
'could not see the town, there were so many houses.' Had I known how this land could be 
developed, you would never have seen me digging for gold on the American River, and I feel 
like kicking myself to think that I was not observant enough to notice the unmistakable 
indications of its fertility which now every one can plainly see. However, there is one 
comfort, — other people were just as stupid, and as late as 1873 1^0 one seemed to think 
the land good enough for anything but a passably good sheep range. See how it has been 
developed ! And mark that all through this valley it is not the wealthy alone who enjoy beauti- 
ful homes. 

" The workingman, perhaps driven from the East by severe winters, where the cold is a men- 
ace, as winter comes on finds here a great contrast. If he cannot afford a fire, his children 
feel chilly on winter nights instead of freezing, and summer comes every winter day from 9.00 
A. M. to 4.00 p. M. The farmer or agriculturist finds an open season the year round. While 
in January, in Ohio, he was snowed up, Christmas here finds barley either up or ploughing 
going on. There is something growing all the time; six crops of fodder (alfalfa) for the cattle, 
and other things in proportion. In Florida, grass, milk, apples, pears, nuts, butter, peaches, 
etc., are scarce or unknown ; here they are abundant." 

Carriages were in waiting to take us to the stately Hotel Raymond, where everything was 
in readiness to receive us. A large flag, bearing the figures '49, was floating at half-mast, 
above the cupola, in memory of General Chapin. We alighted upon paths carpeted witli 
roses, over which we walked to the luxuriantly furnished rotunda, which, like the corridors, 
was ablaze with incandescent electric lights. Flowers and ferns were arranged in many 
tasteful designs. Chandeliers were garlanded, mantels banked with tea roses, and stairways 
decked with pyramids of calla lilies. V.ases of flowers stood on every table in all the recep- 
tion rooms. Above the elevator was a device in immortelles, symbolizing the labors of '49. 
It was a crossed miner's pick and shovel, over which the words " Welcome, Pioneers," 
breathed the combined fragrance of white roses and kind hearts. Below were the figures 
'49-'9o. Pillows of nasturtiums were displayed on either side of the grand stairway, and the 
strains of soft music floated through tlie corridors. 

We are met by the genial, painstaking, and accommodating manager, C. H. Merrill, whom I 
have known for years at the Crawford House in the White Mountains. Under his careful 
supervision the big hotel absorbs the 148 guests rapidly and quietly. There was no crowding 
around the clerk's desk for rooms, no clanging of bells, no wild rush of bell-boys. Each guest 
had a ticket, which he had received on the train, giving the number of his room. Toilets 
received the necessary attention, and then we repaired to the spacious dining-room, which, like 
the rest of the house, was blooming with flowers. Besides the special floral pieces, which were 
many, there were large bouquets on every table, the whole giving evidence of the exquisite 
taste and tireless industry of Jennie Audinwood, the housekeeper, and Mr. G. T. C. Holden. 
Of the dinner it is sufficient to say it was well worthy of the following unique bill of fare : — 



48 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 




' Go, sirrah ! And take them to the buttery. 
And give them friendly welcome every one; 
Let them want nothing that my house affords." 



OYSTERS ON THE SHELL 



" The dinner attends you, sir." 

Chicken Broth Consomme a la Royale 

French Soup Sticks 

Pickled IValnuis Queen Olives Celery 



' Small cheer and great welcome make a merry feast." 
. Boiled Salmon, Cream Sauce 
Potatoes Parisienne 



" Ay, but hearken, sir; though the Chameleon Love can feed on air, 
I am one that am nourished by my victuals and would fain have meat." 

Boiled Mutton, Caper Sauce Boiled Ham 

"What say you to a piece of beef and mustard?" 
Roast Beef, Dish Gravy Young Lamb, Mint Sauce Ribs of Pork, Apple Sauce 



Boiled and Mashed White Potatoes Green Peas Turnip Spinach 

New Beets Fresh Asparagus Lima Beans Cauliflower 



" I smell it; upon my life it will do well." 
Tenderloin of Beef, Larded, Bordelaise Sauce Fricandeau of Veal, Sauce Tomato 

Macaroni au Gratin Apricot Fritters, Wine Sauce 

" Faith, as cold as can be." 
PIONEER PUNCH 



" A dish that I do love to feed upon." 
Roast Teal Duck, with Currant Jelly 



" A savor that may strike the dullest nostril." 
Lobster Salad Dressed Celery 

" Live like yourself, was soon my lady's word. 
And lo ! two puddings smoked upon the board." 

English Plum Pudding, Hard and Brandy Sauce Princess Pudding, Wine Sauce 

Apple Tie Squash Pie Jelly Cake Pie Gold Cake Cocoanut Layer Cake 

White Swiss Cake Fruit Cake Orange Jelly Sherry W^ine Jelly 



" Will 't please your Honor taste of these conserves ? " 

Russian Cream Baked Cup Custard Fruit Jumbles Strawberries with Whipped Cream 

Cream Bon Bons Macaroons Charlotte Russe 

CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM 



" Sweetmeats, messengers of strong prevailment of unhardened youth." 

Navel Oranges Bananas Mixed Nuts Figs Layer Raisins 

American, Pineapple, and Edam Cheese Water Wafers Soda Crackers 



" For now we sit to chat as well as eat." 
TEA COFFEE 



DIJ^MER AT THE RAYMOJYD. 



49 



Steward Simpson was in his glory, and every detail received the most careful attention. 

It was a dinner that no one who was present can ever forget. We ate leisurely, but with 
appetites sharpened for the tempting viands by our afternoon's exercise ; and as the nimble 
waiters supplied our every want, it was a charming sight to watch their forms apparently 
floating in the mazes of some labyrinthine waltz as they moved in and out among the flower- 
decked tables and garlanded colonnades, doubly beautiful in the soft glow of the shaded elec- 
tric lights. Conversation was animated, and many an interesting reminiscence was told of the 
days when this beautiful hill was shunned as not worth the trouble of climbing unless it was 
desired to ascertain if any hostile Indians were abroad in the valley. Only one regret was 
expressed, that distant friends could not be there to share in our enjoyment. 

After dinner there was a rush to obtain copies of the bill of fare to send home, and Mr. Mer- 
rill handed one as a souvenir to each member of the party. In visiting my Pioneer friends I 
have not found one who does not still retain this memento of our Pasadena dinner, and who 
does not show it with pride. 

Fatigued with the hospitalities that had been showered upon us at San Bernardino, Red- 
lands, Riverside, and Pasadena, and surfeited with the dazzling beauties of this semi-tropical 
region with its perfume-laden air, golden orchards, and flower-crowned slopes, we found sleep 
most welcome; but in dreams we saw again the rugged canons, the barren hills, the weird 
Sierras, and the wilderness of '49. 




DRIVE ALONG THE ARROYA SECO. 



50 PIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BIOGRAPHIES OF OUR LEADING MEN. 

O, wad some power the giftie gie us, 
To see ourselves as ithers see us ! 

— Burns. 

WHAT was our surprise at breakfast next morning, to find on our tables copies of an 
illustrated edition of the Los Angeles Tribune, with long editorials, and pictures and 
sketches of the lives of our leaders. Before we left Boston Captain Thomes had received a 
letter from the editor, Edward S. Gill, asking for photographs and biographical sketches, 
which were sent; but we had almost forgotten this, and had not looked for anything more than 
very brief mention of individuals. Instead, Mr. Gill used all the material sent, and added 
comments of his own. I reproduce abridgments of the sketches, which are reliable, so far as 
their historical part is concerned, although some of his conclusions are, perhaps, rather too 
flattering; giving first the names of our two most active workers, and then the others in the 
alphabetical order of their names. 

Captain William H. Thomes, the president of the New England Society of California 
Pioneers, was born in Portland, Ale., but at an early age his family moved to Boston, where 
he was educated in the public schools ; but, like other boys of those days, he longed to 
see foreign lands. His friends secured him a position on the ship Admittance, Captain Peter 
Peterson, for a voyage to California, a portion of the world that was almost unknown at that 
period. The ship was owned by Messrs. Appleton & Hooper, and sailed from Boston on the 
26th of October, 1842, and, after a quick voyage of 126 days, dropped anchor in the harbor of 
Monterey on the 7th day of March, 1843. Eor three years he was on the coast collecting 
hides and trading goods with the Mexicans for guavas and tallow, all that the natives had to 
dispose of for such articles as Boston vessels carried to the coast. The supercargo was Mr. 
Henry Melius, and the assistant was Mr. Henry Thuchemaker, both well known to the old 
residents of the State. During Mr. Thomes' cruising up and down the coast, he and three 
other boys were employed in boating, carrying traders from the shore to the ship, etc., and in 
that way made the acquaintance of all the ]irominent people in the country, from San Diego to 
San Francisco, among them Messrs. Stearns, Temple, Bandini, Wolfskill, the priests of the 
mission; and one of his proudest boasts is that he has often carried Mrs. Stearns (now Mrs. 
Baker) and her sister from the rocky shores of San Pedro Bay, opposite the adobe house of 
Don Juan Foster, to his boat, when they were on a shopping expedition, all of which he has 
related at length in his recently published book, called " On Land and Sea ; or, California in 
1843, '44) and '45"; and a still later work entitled, '• Lewey and I ; or, Sailor Boys' Wander- 
ings." The latter book carries the reader through the Mexican war, and is filled with exciting 
adventures ; some real and many imaginary. These books have been the means of sending 
many hundred people to California, to see the country, which the author so well describes in 
its early days. He left the Admittance with his friend Lewey, at San Diego, and. after seeing 




CAI'I'. \VM. H. THOMKS. 



BIOGRAPHIES. 51 

life among the Mexicans, sailed for Maitland in the old Mexican schooner California, Captain 
Cooper, the half-brother of Mr. Thomas O. Larkin, the first and only American consul in this 
State, with residence and store at Monterey. 

After Mr. Thomes returned to Boston, he learned the trade of a printer, and then embraced 
a literary career until 1S49, when he and 149 others purchased the ship Edward Everett, 
stocked the vessel with provisions for two years, and, in January, 1849, once more sailed for 
California, arriving in San Francisco July 7, 1849. The ship was then headed for Benicia, 
moored alongside the mud banks, and all the owners started in a fleet of boats and one steamer 
built by the Edward Everett people, and the first vessel that was run by steam that navigated 
the Sacramento River. She was commanded by the late William V. Wells, the author, sailor, 
politician, and at one time a mayor-elect at San Francisco. The eager gold hunters encamped 
at Mokelumne Hill ; but differences arose, and the Edward Everett Company disbanded, and 
each one was told to look after his own welfare. The ship and cargo were sold for $30,000, 
just as she lay at Benicia, and then was put on the route for passengers from San Francisco to 
Panama. 

Mr. Thomes and a party of six started for Bidwell's Bar, on the Rio de la Pluma, where 
they found gold in abundance, but provisions scarce and dear, flour being $1 per pound, 
pork the same, and beans 50 cents a quart. The Indians were a little troublesome, and the 
coyotes noisy at night ; and once in a while the company showed what they could do in the 
way of running in the presence of a hungry grizzly, whose acquaintance was not desirable. 
The Indians burned their tent, stole their provisions, and the snows of winter drove them from 
the mines in a hurry ; and they traveled in different directions. At San Francisco Captain 
Thomes was placed in charge of the Bremen ship, Alexander Von Humboldt, owned by 
Messrs. Simmons, Hutchins & Co., and remained in full control, all alone on the vessel, until 
she was sold to a party of Spaniards. Then, owing to failing health, he took passage in the 
same ship for the Sandwich Islands, where he remained for some time, went to the Ladrone 
Islands, and from the latter to Manila, China, and Australia, and then back to Boston. For 
many years he was on the staff of the Boston Herald, and finally engaged in the publishing 
business ; was burned out at the big fire, and lost $10,000 on that unfortunate night. His career 
as an author has been a successful one, all of his books having a large sale, the most renowned 
being " The Gold-Hunters of Australia," "The Belle of Australia," and " On Land and Sea." 

He is a past master of St. John's Lodge of Boston; past president of the Martin Associa- 
tion of Boston, composed entirely of past and present masters of Masonic lodges, numbering 
100 members, the cream of Masonry at the Hub ; a member of St. Paul's Royal Arch Chapter 
and Boston Commandery of Knights Templars. He has held his position as president of the 
Society of California Pioneers from its origin, and this association now numbers over 400 
members, and is growing rapidly. He has paid several visits to California since 1851, 
and the more he sees of the State the better he likes it : so much so that he originated the 
present pilgrimage of the Pioneers, Iioping that all could once more see the land where they 
toiled and suffered in the early days of gold-mining, and witness, as he has, the great strides 
the State has made since 1849 in refinement, enterprise, and wealtli ; and he will not rest con- 
tent until every member of liis society has paid a visit to the land of fruits and flowers. Mrs. 
Thomes accompanies her husband on this excursion, — her third visit here since 1885, — and 
she is more enthusiastic than her partner in love for California and its people. In fact, she 
would like to make her home here Init for business reasons on the part of her husband. 

Hon. B. F. Whittemore, secretary of the New England Society of California Pioneers, is a 
New Englander by birth, and now sixty-six years of age. He comes from old revolutionary 



52 PIONEERS OF '49. 

stock, his great-grandfather, Captain Samuel Whittemore, having won great celebrity, when 
the British troops marched from Boston to Lexington, April 19, 1775, by being, although then 
eighty-seven years of age, the first on parade, and to exhort the assembling militia to bravery 
and courage. In an encounter between him and a squad of the redcoats, two of whom he 
killed, he was overpowered and left for dead, with thirteen bayonet and gunshot wounds upon 
him; but reviving, he lived twelve years thereafter, and died ninety-nine years old. On his 
mother's side, he descended from William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 
and also from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the lakes. 

Having received an academic education, he prepared himself for the active struggle of life, 
visited and traveled extensively in Europe, and in 1849, when the "gold fever" spread all over 
the country, he, with a party of earnest and vigorous young men, sailed from Boston, January 
24, for California, around the Horn, arriving in the Bay of San Francisco July 19, after a 
passage of 178 days. 

Like all other Pioneers to the El Dorado of the West, he, with his companions, started for 
the mines — that is, a portion of them; for they did not all keep together. Although of one 
mind as to the object of their expedition, viz. to get gold, they were of many minds as to the 
best place to get it. He and his party went up the San Joaquin to Stockton, and thence to 
Mokelumne Hill and Bar, where they entered into every phase of a miner's life, being emi- 
nently successful in the getting of gold. 

Health failing him, he left the mines and took passage for the Polynesian Islands, and after 
a short stay in Honolulu went to South America, stopping awhile in Brazil, finally arriving in 
New York in 1851. 

From this date he was in active life, following mercantile and professional pursuits until the 
breaking out of the rebellion, when he entered the army, serving in two different regiments 
three years and nine months, till the close of the war. He then settled in South Carolina, 
remaining there about twelve years, during which time he was a member of the State Senate 
seven years, and a Representative in Congress two terms. 

In 1877 he removed to Massachusetts, and entered into business relations with the well- 
known publishing tirm of W. H. Thompson & Co., Boston, with which he is still connected. 

William H. Browne is the most patriarchal of all the '49ers of the New England Society of 
California Pioneers. He was born in Vassalborough, Me., in 1822, moved to Bangor, and 
resided there until 1840, when he went to Boston, and entered the office of Mr. Peter Degrand, 
on State street, the most prominent stockbroker in the city. P>om Boston he went to Wiscon- 
sin, where he married. He remained three years in the State, then moved to Chicago, and 
from that city passed on to New Orleans, where he took passage for himself and wife in the 
bark Laura Snow, for San Francisco, via Cape Horn, in the year 1849. After a long passage 
he landed safely, and immediately left for the mines, with others, and settled on the banks of 
the Mokelumne River, and turned the stream at Big Bar. Thinking that there was more 
money in tilling a farm than digging for gold, he bought a piece of land near the Calaveras 
River, and raised vegetables and fruit for a ready market and high prices. Here two of his 
children were born; but the day after the last one arrived the high water of 1856 surrounded 
his home, cut off all communication with the outside world, supplies and help, and to keep his 
newborn alive he was compelled to feed it on meat, whiskey, and water, with bread crumbs 
soaked in the mixture to give it vitality. The exposure and want of suitable nourishment were 
fatal to his wife, and she died. No nurse or help could be obtained, and very reluctantly he 
sold his property, and with his two little ones left California for Boston, via Panama. During 
all the passage he_cared for the children, receiving kind assistance from the lady passengers, 




HON. IS. F. WHITTEMORE. 



BIOGRAPHIES. 53 

and brought the infants safe to Boston, where they were cared for by relatives. Mr. Browne 
then commenced business as a wholesale and retail furniture manufacturer, and now has 
enough money to live as he pleases, and travel where he feels inclined. He has been all over 
Europe several times, and is restless unless on the move. Mr. Browne is a member of St. 
John's Lodge, F. A. M., the oldest lodge in the country, and of which Captain William H. 
Thomes is past master. He is passionately fond of pictures and music, and at his elegant 
home on Beacon street, Boston, has select musicales twice a month during the winter season. 
One of his daughters is a celebrated artist, studying in Paris ; but the little one, who was so 
miraculously saved on the banks of the Colcrasas, is dead. 

A few years since Mr. Browne was in Germany, and at a certain town his name and age were 
demanded by the police. Out of all patience with the formalities, he said, in a petulant man- 
ner, "Oh, put me down as being 103 years old." The police gravely entered his age at those 
figures, and from that moment there was no peace for Mr. Browne in house or thoroughfare. 
Crowds followed him and stared ar him, and made remarks, and one excited individual one 
day seized his hand, shook it vigorously, and said: "Is it possible that you are 103 years 
old ? " 

" Don't the police books say so ? " Mr. Browne asked with unmoved face. 

" Well, well," replied the stranger, " I should never take you to be more than ninety." 

One of the remarkable men of the New England .Society of California Pioneers is E. O. 
Carpenter, Esq., of New York City, a stock broker, and connected with the great and rich 
firm of James B. Colgate & Co., No. 36 Wall street. Probably no man is better known or 
more highly respected in tliat great Babylon of business interests — the Stock Board of New 
York — than Mr. Carpenter. His face shows coolness, firmness, and self-reliance, qualities 
which all brokers must possess or retire from the field, and give place to others with more push 
and enterprise. Mr. Carpenter's career has been a successful one ever since he entered the 
race for wealth and position. He is a great lover of California, for he first saw it in 1849, 
having arrived in San Francisco, by the way of Panama, that year. He made his first advent as a 
gold digger at Mormon Bar, and the North and South forks of the American River, in which 
places he was moderately successful ; but he heard of new diggings at Amador Creek, and there 
he went with others, and was fortunate in finding a rich pocket. After it was exhausted, he 
started a store, and made money very fast ; but his health failed him, and very reluctantly he 
was compelled to sell out a profitable business and return to his New York home, arriving in 
the latter part of 185 1. In 1852 he entered the employ of Pierce & Colgate, and he has been 
with the latter member of the firm ever since. He was elected a member of the New York 
Stock Exchange in 1865. His residence is at Yonkers, Westchester county. Mr. Carpenter 
has brought his daughter with him to let her see the country he loves so much. 

Charles A. Dole, Esq., East Somerville, Mass., the first vice-president of the New England 
Society of California Pioneers, is one of those quiet, self-possessed gentlemen whom everyone 
likes and respects for his sterling integrity and high-toned and old-fashioned honesty; for. 
during his life of active business prosperity, no one can say that he wronged a fellow-man of a 
cent or did anything that would cause his family to blush for its honored head. Mr. Dole was 
born in .Salem, of Puritan stock, his ancestors arriving at Plymouth in the Mayflower. In 
1849, a young man full of ambition and hope, he sailed in the bark Lagrange, Captain Joseph 
Dewing, from Salem to San Francisco, in company with others, the flower of Essex county. 
The Lagrange carried to California more people, who afterwards became rich, than any vessel 
that left Salem during the gold excitement. The Lagrange made a long voyage, having 
stopped for wood and water at Fanning's Harbor, Falkland Islands, and remained there for 



54 PIOMEEBS OF '49. 

twenty-two days, where all the passengers shot ducks and geese until they tired of the slaughter ; 
and it is calculated that when the bark put to sea she had on board ten tons of flesh, fish, and 
fowl. Mr. Dole devoted himself to mining at Mormon Island, and worked there with happy 
results until high water, cold weather, and damp beds drove him to Sacramento City, where he 
commenced business, and transacted a very profitable one, dealing in flour, which he packed to 
the mines when flour was a very dear article of food. He is connected with the great spice 
house of Stickney & Poor, whose goods are known all over the world. 

This is the first time that Mr. Dole has been in California since 1852. He is accompanied 
by his wife and a married daughter, Mrs. Poor. 

Charles H. Fifield was born at Portsmouth, N. H., April 25, 1829, was apprenticed to learn 
the trade of atinplate and sheet-iron worker in 1844, at South Danvers, Mass., and commenced 
work as a journeyman, at Salem, Mass., in 1848, on Front street. He left Salem for California 
March i, 1852, via Cape Horn, in the ship Samuel Appleton, sailing from Boston; was ten 
days off Cape Horn, and arrived at Valparaiso June 3 and left on the 4th, arriving at San 
Francisco July 21, after a passage of 142 days; worked at mining on the Middle and South 
Forks of the American River until October, after which, at his trade in Sacramento until 
November, when the great fire occurred, destroying the city ; left for San Francisco, working 
at his trade until May, 1854, at which time he left for home via Nicaragua, on the steamer 
Cortez, with 1,200 passengers, including Colonel John C. Fremont, with eight of his Indian 
guides. Arriving at San Juan del Norte, he found trouble brewing with the natives, who threat- 
ened destruction to the American Steamship Company's works, located at Point Arenas, at 
entrance to harbor of Greytown. One hundred United States volunteers were called for to 
remain and protect the company's works, and, after a patriotic speech from Colonel Fremont, 
the required number enlisted; but at roll-call, about dark, only forty-eight were to be found, 
including Mr. Fifield; the balance had skulked away and hidden on the steamer, then bound for 
New York. He remained at Point Arenas six weeks, and was relieved by the United States 
sloop of war Cyane, which bombarded the city of Greytown. He left for New York on 
steamer Star of the West, arriving at Salem the middle of July, 1854. He married in 1856, and 
commenced the furnace and stove business in 1 864 ; served two years (i 880 and 1 88 1 ) on Board 
of Aldermen, and at present is still engaged in the furnace and stove business at the same 
stand where he commenced work in 1848. He is also acting treasurer of the Monson, Me., 
Slate Company. He is determined to visit his old diggings, if possible. He has prospered 
for years, and now employs 500 men at the slate works in Maine. 

Loring Wheeler Gleason was born at Westmoreland, N. H., April 20, 1833. After passing 
through the public schools of his native town, he studied at Mt. Caesar Seminary in Swanzey, 
N. H. (since made still more famous through the wonderful impersonation of Josh Whitcomb, 
by Denman Thomson in " The Old Homestead "), then at academies at West Brattleboro, Vt., 
South Woodstock, Vt., and finally at Westminster, Vt., at wjiich place, under the tutelage of 
that thorough scholar L. F. Ward, who was at that time the principal, he was fitted for 
college; but at about that time he contracted the California fever, then so prevalent all through 
New England, and, abandoning his contemplated college course, started at the age of eighteen 
for the land of gold, arriving in San Francisco Feb. 17, 1852, and remained there until October, 
1855, most of the time in the Southern mines. He returned to his New England home with a 
fair compensation, but soon wearied of the comj^aratively monotonous life, and in the spring of 
1856116 went to "Bleeding Kansas." In the spring of 1859, at the time of the Pike's Peak 
gold excitement, he crossed the plains with an ox-team, starting from eastern Kansas April 
25, and arriving at the junction of Cherry Creek and the South Fork of the Platte River, the 



BIOGRAPHIES. 55 

present site of the City of Denver, June 2, and at once went into the mountains at Gregory 
diggings, that being about the only " diggins " then discovered; spent about two months pros- 
pecting with very poor results, and then started for eastern Kansas. In his trip out to Pike's 
Peak he passed over the old Santa Fe trail, and returned by the Platte River route, so that on 
his present trip he will pass over about 1,000 miles of almost precisely the same grounds over 
which he drove his ox-teams thirty-one years ago. What greater contrast can possibly be 
imagined, on the first trip toiling along for weeks after coming in sight of Pike's Peak without 
being perceptibly any nearer it, sleeping on the ground, standing guard through the long, 
stormy nights, and the many other hardships known only to those who have had a similar 
experience, and now passing over the same route in the magnificently equipped vestibuled 
train, accompanied by his wife and daughter, making the trip from Boston to California, with 
the many stops on the route, and back to Boston in the same time, almost to an hour, which was 
consumed on the first trip from eastern Kansas to Denver! In March, 1863, Mr. Gleason 
went to Boston to engage in the real-estate business, where he has since remained, and still 
continues in the real-estate and insurance business at 257 Washington street. His home, 
however, is in the town of Everett, one of Boston's most charming suburbs. 

Frederick C. Hanson, Esq., is well known in Boston. He is one of those quiet but deter- 
mined men who make their mark in any part of the world in which they may be located. He 
was born in Copenhagen in 1821, and at the age of four his parents moved to St. Croix, West 
Indies, where he resided for ten years, and received a portion of his education. Both of his 
parents died when he was fourteen, leaving but a small fortune for the youth to face the world. 
Then he desired to see foreign lands, and commenced real life as a sailor boy; but six years of 
such an existence was all he desired, so he left the sea, and apprenticed himself to the famous 
firm of Joseph L. Ross, of Boston, manufacturer of school furniture. In 1849 he was taken 
with the gold fever, and sailed from Boston in the ship New Jersey, in May, making the 
passage to San Francisco in 164 days, with 200 passengers, stopping on the way at Valparaiso. 
He worked in the mines at Hangtown, where he was quite successful, for over a year; but hard 
fare, chills and fever, and high water drove him to Sacramento, at which place he started in 
business at carpentering, and was very successful for over a year; but his health again broke 
down, and he was compelled to sell out, and return East. Since 1874 he has been an assistant 
to the superintendent of public buildings of Boston. He is president of the New Jersey 
Association, all of whom are members of the Society of California Pioneers. This is his first 
visit to California since 1852. 

Richard Harrington, Esq., of Salem, Mass., the second vice-president of the New England 
Society of California Pioneers, was born in that city. Mr. Harrington is a member of the old 
and highly esteemed Harrington family, among the earliest settlers of that portion of Massa- 
chusetts, dating back to Governor Hutchins' time. The subject of this biograjDhy had every 
advantage of birth and education; but he was fired with the desire to see the world, and to 
strike out on his own account. So, when the gold excitement broke out, he joined in with 
other natives of his city, and purchased the bark Lagrange, and sailed for California, leaving 
Sept. 17, 1849, being the youngest person on the vessel. As related in Mr. Dole's biog- 
raphy, the Lagrange stopped at the Falkland Islands, where Mr. Harrington one afternoon, 
unaided, shot and secured three wild bullocks, an exhibition of luck and pluck that was much 
commented on at the time. On arriving at $an Francisco the Lagrange was sailed to 
Benicia, where the company built a clamboat, the second one that ever navigated the Sacra- 
mento River. As usual, the company disbanded, and each man started for the mines on his 
own account. Mr. Harrington, with other friends, went to Dry Creek and the North Fork of 



56 pio:n'eebs of '49. 

the American River, at both of wliich places he made good paying wages. Then, tired of the 
hard life of a miner, he returned to San Francisco, and went into active business, but was 
called home on account of family matters. He left San Francisco in 1852, and this is his first 
visit since that year. Mr. Harrington is an extensive dealer in leather. 

Marcellus Houghton, Esq., was born in Massachusetts, and sailed for California, from 
Boston, Nov. 22, 1849, ''^ the ship Reindeer, Captain Lord, with 194 passengers, arriving 
in San Francisco April 2, 1850, after a passage of 128 days, — a very short one at that time, 
including a stop of seven days in Valparaiso for water and vegetables. On arriving in Cali- 
fornia he went to Wood's Creek, in the vicinity of Columbia and Stanislaus Rivers, Sonora, 
where he dug gold and prospected during the years 1850-51, and during the latter date mined 
at San Andreas, near Lake's store, where he was moderately successful; but the high water 
and cold weather forced him from tiie banks of the streams, and in the winter of 1852 he 
located at Campo Seco (alias Turnerville) as proprietor of a store and restaurant and express 
office. In these various professions he made considerable money, but ill health compelled him 
to relinquish business and return East, sailing from San P'rancisco by steamer in April, 1852. 
Since then he has lived in Concord, Mass. He has been a member of the Massachusetts 
Legislature, chairman of the Concord Selectmen, and is now spending his time and money in 
fancy farming, hothouse flowers, and other pleasant excitements. He is very anxious to visit 
his former mining scenes. 

Mr. Simeon Mitchell, of Campello, a member — and a prominent one from its origin — of the 
New England Society of California Pioneers, is a self-made man — one who had but little 
family influence to help him along in the world, so he commenced real life by starting for Cali- 
fornia in 1849, leaving Boston in October as a passenger on the fine ship Richmond, deter- 
mined to make his fortune in the gold fields before he returned East. In this he was not quite 
as successful as he anticipated, but he made enough money to give him a good start in life 
when he returned to Boston. He arrived in San Francisco April 3, 1849, and the next day 
went to work packing boards from a scow on the mud flats at the moderate sum of $10 per 
day. Then he wheeled sand at $8 per day, but, tiring of such work, went to the mines, locat- 
ing at Murphy's diggings. Here he worked hard and late, and with patient toil accumulated 
fine gold dust, until he felt as tJiough he had enough to start in some business at home; for 
cold water, hard fare, and laborious work undermined his health, and a halt was called. Mr. 
Mitchell is now a Boston merchant, jjrosperous and generous. 

A quiet, silent, but determined man is Florimond B. Mower, Esq., of Lynn, Mass., a mem- 
ber of the great boot and shoe house of F. B. Mower & Son, who turn out thousands of cases, 
of boots and shoes every year, and who has made money in spite of the competition, strikes, 
and other annoyances to which all shoe houses are subject in the East. Mr. Mower was born 
in Lynn in the year 1825, and sailed for California in the ship Henry Ware, Noah Maron, 
master, with a large number of passengers. He was fortunate in his voyage, being only 134 
days from Boston to San Francisco. He remained in California for two years, engaged in 
mining, trade, etc., and returned East, on the death of his father, to assume charge of his busi- 
ness. This is Mr. Mower's first visit to California since 1851. Mr. Mower is one of the early 
and most active members of the New England Societv of California Pioneers. 

Director Frederick Pease, of East Boston, Mass., was born at Edgartown, Mass., and sailed 
from that place for San Francisco in September, 1849, by the way of Cape Horn, in the bark 
Sarah, making the voyage in 187 days. He arrived in California in March, 1850, and went to 
mining at Angel's Camp, and from there to Calaveras River ; but ill health compelled his 
return East after a year and a half of hard experience at gold digging. He made more than 



BIOGRAPHIES. 57 

paying wages while at the mines, and was enabled to take a cabin passage on board one of the 
steamers by the Nicaragua route. Mr. Pease is one of the directors of the New England 
Society of California Pioneers, and is an active and useful member. He has held many 
important public positions in Boston, having been for several years a member of the upper and 
lower branches of the Massachusetts Legislature, a prominent member, for two terms of three 
years each, of the directors of Boston's public institutions, and was called upon by the United 
States Government as an expert during the great sugar controversy, and his decision was so 
just and fair that it won the commendation of the secretary of the Treasury in a public letter. 
Mr. Pease, for the past fifteen years, has been treasurer of the East Boston Gas Company. He 
is a past master of an East Boston lodge of Masons. This is his first visit since 1852. Mr. 
Pease is six feet two inches tall, and his picture shows what he is, a fine-looking specimen of 
an Eastern man. 

Charles T. Stumcke, Esq., of Boston, is no stranger to California, and in point of wealth and 
standing is one of the solid men of the modern Atliens. He is a director of the New England 
Society of California Pioneers, and a very active and enthusiastic one. He is just in the 
prime of life, being born in 1830, and always was fond of travel and adventure. He sailed 
from Boston in the ship New Jersey with 150 passengers for San Francisco on the ist of May, 
1849, making a passage of 164 days, arriving in California Oct. 11, 1S49. He immediately 
repaired to the mines, like other adventurers, and for two years dug for gold at Auburn, Placer 
county; then returned Ea'^t for his health, and once more sailed from Boston in the ship Mary 
Merrill, for the Golden State, arriving in San Francisco Oct. 23, 1853. In that year he was 
married, and settled in San Francisco, where he carried on business until 1869, when his health 
again failed him, owing to close application to his business, and he was obliged to return 
East, where he lias resided ever since, being engaged in managing hotels, the Crawford House, 
on Court street, being his latest venture, and a very profitable one for the past ten years. His 
eldest son was born in San Francisco, and is a member of the society. 

Captain Edwin D. Wadsworth, of Milton, Mass., is one of the directors of the New England 
Society of California Pioneers. He is a man who would be noticed in a crowd — strong:, deter- 
mined, and just such a person as would be selected to command a clipper-ship, or lead a 
desperate charge of cavalry. Nearly all of his life has been passed on the ocean as boy, 
sailor, officer, and master. He was born in Milton, Mass., and is descended from Pilgrim 
ancestry. When sixteen years of age he sailed from Boston in the ship Richmond, for Cali- 
fornia, Oct. 31, 1849, ^nd ar/ived at San Francisco April 6, 1850. He spent the summer 
mining at Nevada City and on the South Yuba, where he was remarkably successful, and 
saved thousands of dollars of gold dust. Then he tired of mining, and, after a little more 
experience at sea, shipped as chief officer of the first Mexican merchant ship that visited Japan 
on a trading voyage. He has commanded clipper-ships on every sea, and steamers to Cali- 
fornia, Rio Janeiro, Europe, Asia, and Africa. He also commanded transport steamers during 
the late war between the North and the South, and in all the important positions that he has occu- 
pied has commanded the esteem and respect of all with whom he has been brought in contact. 
Even his seamen were proud to serve under him voyage after voyage, and that is a good test 
of a captain's quality. He is one of the rich men of the rich town of Milton, and is treasurer 
of the Boston Marine Society, an institution that has nearly $400,000 surplus, all owned by 
retired ship-masters who compose the institution. Captain Wadsworth is accompanied by 
Mrs. Wadsworth, Miss Wadsworth, and Miss Whilton. Captain Wadsworth is a member of 
Boston Commandery Knights Templars, and a Mason of high degree. 

In addition to the above, the local paper contained the following, without illustrations : — 



58 PIOJ^EERS OF 'JfO. 

" D. C. Allen, of Leominster, Mass., now sixty-five years old, and hale and hearty, arrived 
March 15, 1849, and remained eight months. He is the only survivor of his party of twelve. 
He moved to Willow Springs, near Dry Creek, Amador county, where he built the first frame 
house, with doors and windows, on the creek. He was much amused to see how astonished 
the Indians were to see glass. They would peer through the windows, and put their hands 
on the panes, to see if they were real. 

"David S. Boynton, sixty-five years old, is a prominent leather manufacturer of Lynn, 
Mass. He came here with four townsmen — of whom two are still living in Lynn — on the brig 
Ann Tarris, which sailed from Beverly, and arrived in San Francisco in September, 1849. 
An accident, by which one of his knees was injured, compelled him to return after a stay of 
eight months. 

"James D. McAvoy worked for Oliver Ames, father of Oakes, before he came to California 
on the Edward Everett. Mr. Ames wanted him to bring out a shipment of shovels at $9 a dozen, 
but Mr. McAvoy was afraid that Ames was trying to work off stock on him. The shovels 
could have been sold here as fast as offered at $30 a piece. Mr. McAvoy and ten others 
stopped at Benicia to build a flatboat, which was propelled by an engine brought out on the 
Everett, the rest of the party going on. The steamboat men got disgusted, and tied the 
boat to a tree, where it may be still, for all they know. They bought a yoke of oxen, and 
went to Mokelumne Hill, where they were fairly successful. The ship was sold for $30,000, 
and a dividend declared ; but few ever got it, as they were scattered widely. 

" Manson Perkins, of Lamoille, 111., came by the ox-team route, and went back with $1,500. 
' I'm sorry now,' said he, ' I didn't stay and buy some of the land lying around here ; but the 
trouble was, as Captain Thomes has said of Mokelumne, we damned the country, and we 
damned it until we could no longer say Amen to the sentiment.' 

" William H. Pierce, of Lynn, is over sixty, and talks entertainingly of the days of '49. He 
took home $1,500 in dust, and his arrival in his native town was the event of the day. All the 
people flocked into the tavern that night, and their eyes stuck out in wonderment as he poured 
out of his belt into a saucer the yellow nuggets. 'But,' added he, 'people's imaginations 
were greatly inflamed in those days. They got exaggerated ideas of the wealth of a Califor- 
nian. You know a man, after all, can carry very little solid gold on his person. Yet chat little 
saucer set the people wild, and I heard one man telling a friend on the street, next morning, 
that he saw me pouring out gold, and he believed I had several more barrels of it.' Another 
point that Mr. Pierce made was that the men who left New England in '49 outlived most of 
their friends of the same age at that time who remained at home. No small proportion of the 
older men of New England have been California Pioneers." 




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PASADEJ^A. 



59 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PASADENA, ITS HOTEL, AND MINING CAMP. 

The pickaxe and the rocker, the sluice-box and the mine, 

And bronzed, red-shirted giants were the types of '49. 

The vineyard and the orcliard, the harrow and tlie plough. 

And stalwart boys and blooming girls, are what we boast of now. 



-Chronicle. 



SOME one arranged with a pliotograplier to take our pictures; but, as we were scattered 
here and there, walking, reading, and writing letters, only sixty-two responded to the 
unexpected call. We stood on the piazza and steps of the hotel, and in the wonderfully clear 
air and bright sunlight, a photograph was taken which I have never seen excelled for so large 
a group. Copies cost us $1 
each, and were delivered at the 
Palace Hotel, San Francisco. 
Had it been generally known 
that this picture was to be 
taken, all would have been 
present. " How I wish I had 
heard of it in time ! " and similar 
thoughts, were uttered by all 
not included. I reproduce the 
photograph by the "half-tone" 
process, but on a page of this 
size it is not easy to do full 
justice to the work of the pho- 
tographer. 

The remainder of the fore- 
noon was passed in receiving 
friends, who poured in in a 
steady stream, apparently de- 
termined to leave undone noth- ^^^^nd opera house, pasadena avenue. 

ing which could contribute to our comfort and enjoyment. We also took short rambles and 
drives about the place, with which we were more than pleased. 

Pasadena, the " crown of the valley," as its name, which is of Indian origin, implies, is 
situated in the most fruitful and picturesque part of the great San Gabriel valley, some eight 
or nine miles from Los Angeles. The valley is here a succession of gentle hills, some of which 
are upwards of 1,000 feet above the level of the sea, or 700 and Soo feet above Los Angeles. 
Their slopes are covered with orange groves, gardens, and vineyards. It has the same protec- 
tion from the north winds as Santa Barbara, being directly in front of the grand old mountain 




60 



VIOXEEBS OF '40. 



range known as the Sierra Madre, and is just far enough from it to make its magBificent 
scenic features appreciable. The peaks vary in height from 5,000 to 9,000 and 10,000 feet, and 



seve/al of them mount into the region of snow. 




Tlie dweller in Pasadena looks out from semi-tropical groves and gardens upon snowy sum- 
mits. In 1873 a colony was established here, but it was some years later that the place entered 



FASABEKA. 61 

upon its thriving career. Indeed, the visitor may traverse one avenue a distance of six miles 
through a continuous stretch of gardens, vineyards, and orchards, with cottages, villas, school- 
houses, and other edifices, where only wild lands existed in 1882. The opening, in 1885, of the 
Los Angeles & San Gabriel Valley Railroad — now the California Central Railway (Santa Fe 
route), which traverses the city its entire length — gave the place a fresh impetus, and aided 
greatly in its development. Pasadena now contains over 8,000 inhabitants, with churches, 
schools of a high class, a public library, horse railways, gas, electric lights, water service, and 
other modern appliances of an energetic, refined, and progressive community. A large number 
of the residents of the place are Eastern people who have come hither in search of health, and 
have built charming residences. Others are Los Angeles business men, who have likewise 
displayed refined taste in beautifying the town and its surroundings. As we wandered among 
the fragrant orchards and gardens, we were impressed by the remarkable absence of fences, 
which in various forms of hideous aspect — picket, barbed wire, and otherwise — confront us 
at home. A simple hedge of cypress, more or less ornamental, and in many places not as 
much as that, even, borders the most elaborate gardens and the richest orchards. Here the 
culture of the orange is carried to a high degree of excellence, a stroll disclosing the rich, 
luscious, golden fruit peeping out from thousands of trees, — 

"Great golden globes half hid 'neath emerald sheen." 

Pasadena possesses a remarkably beautiful and healthful situation, with surroundings 
as grand and inspiring as the resorts of northern Italy, where, as here, orange groves, 
vineyards, and towering snow peaks enter into the same picture. The writer heard a promi- 
nent florist of Boston say, Dec. 13, 1890, that he is making arrangements to cultivate in 
Pasadena those rare and delicate flowers which he has been accustomed to import in winter 
from the shores of the Mediterranean. 

The Raymond Hill is one of the highest elevations in this part of the valley, and its 
peculiar situation gives it an unobstructed view in nearly every direction. The giant warder 
of this fair domain is " Old Baldy," whose white head towers over 9,000 feet high. Farther east- 
ward some of the summits attain still greater heights, San Bernardino peak, or old " Gray- 
back," having an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet. This mountain enjoys the proud distinction 
of being the highest in the United States above the general level of the country at its base. 

" 'T was a fair scene. A land more bright 
Never did mortal eye behold." 

No grander situation for a hotel can be found, and, in planning the establishment, all due 
regard was had to this fact. While the building is noble in outline, spacious, and provided 
with every modern comfort and luxury, each window commands something of the rich and 
varied view that has been described. Light, sunshine, and air have been considered as prime 
necessities ; and the rooms for guests have been so constructed that these important aids to 
health and comfort are secured to a far greater extent than is common in large hotels. The 
sleeping-rooms are all of liberal size, high, and readily accessible; while the public apart- 
ments, including not only reception-rooms, parlors, reading and writing rooms, ladies' billiard- 
room, gentlemen's billiard-room, etc., but also an admirably appointed ballroom, are also very 
spacious. The office rotunda is a large and pleasant apartment, and the other public rooms 
are on the same floor. The dining-room is in rear of the rotunda, and at its entrance are two 
wide stairways and a passenger elevator, which communicates with all the four stories and 
also with the central tower. The baggage elevator is wholly disconnected from the other; 



62 



PIOJfEEBS OF '49. 



and the trunks and other heavy higgage, instead of being taken through the office rotunda, 
are conveyed to the baggage-room in the rear. There are also spacious stairways in other 
parts of the house, and the most elaborate precautions have been taken throughout the 
building to prevent danger from fire. The kitchen and laundry are at a considerable distance 
from the guests' quarters, the laundry being upon the side of the hill, below the plateau ujion 
which the hotel is situated. There are numerous public and private bathrooms, and many of 
the rooms are in suites. 

Lunch was called about noon, after which scores of teams from the city stopped at the hotel, 
and took us to an old-time "Roaring Camp." When we arrived at the scene of the afternoon's 
festivities, — away down among the cliffs and high and rugged walls that form a basin for the 
clear, crystal waters of the Arroyo Seco, — the numerous vehicles, including buggies, carriages, 
and wagons, with saddle-horses to the right and left, arrested attention. 




PLACER MINING. 

We found fully i,ooo people on the ground, where our attention was at once attracted to a 
booth, or " wickee-up," on the Arroyo Seco, near the bridge, and a tent not far away. A gen- 
tleman named Gardner, from Los Aiigeles, was serving out ice cream, lemonade, and straw- 
berries from an apparently inexhaustible supply. Peter Steil, with one or two assistants, had 
charge of the camp. Ed. Carr stood gracefully behind the bar of the saloon, a fine affair, 
made of sticks and brush, the bar a box and barrel, witli a plank for a counter. On this were 
set a dozen or more bottles and glasses, a pair of gold scales, and some ores. Ned, with a red 
nose, and a black eye, served all patrons with pure water until they were satisfied. 



PASADEMA MIMIMG CAMP 



63 



About two o'clock W. U. Masters mounted a stump, and announced that rich digginojs had 
been struck at Greenhorn Gulch, and that a party of pioneers were expected any moment. 

Soon shouts and yells were heard up the canon, and all eyes were turned in that direction, 
when a novel sight in Pasadena, but one familiar to '49ers, met the view. A party of miners, 
with pack train and all the accoutrements, came trudging down the gulch, headed by a grizzly 
old veteran on horseback, in the person of Judge C. S. Eaton, himself a '49er. Behind came a 
band of men, yelling at the burros, and punching them along. The remainder of the party 
consisted of the following gentlemen : Captain John Lindsey, as an old-timer; Fred. Burnham, 
a miner; W. H. Storms, a miner disguised as a Pioneer; Harrold V. Poore, a horse thief, 
from Brodie ; George Eaton, a pilgrim ; George W. Glover, Jr., a gambler ; Howard Conger, a 
tenderfoot; Al Carr, the washerwoman of the camp; Judd Blick, the pony mail carrier, and 
kid of the camp; and Will McGregory, mining expert. They were all characteristically 
dressed, with big revolvers and knives at their sides. Having unpacked the weary, sleepy, 
forlorn, shaggy-eared burros, they commenced the washing for gold. 




THE ROCKliR. 

The cradle and pan were taken to tlie stream, and a half liour devoted to the search. 
Gravel was soon running through the rocker, and the color was shown, when a yell greeted 
the rich strike. D. C. Allen, of our party, was very skillful in this work. 

Every fresh arrival had to visit Ed. Carr, standing beliind his counter as a typical Pioneer, 
with corduroy pants protruding from long boots, a flannel shirt, red handkerchief in place of a 
necktie, iieavy, rough coat, slouch hat, with a genuine old clay pipe comfortably lodged in the 
outer band. As each miner came up and took a drink of — spring water, — out of the black 



64 PIOJ^'EERS OF '49. 

bottle, he pulled out his pouch and dropped a pinch of dust on the scales. If over weight he 
pulled back part of it. Occasional attention was given to two large campfires, whose mission it 
was to keep the pots of bean soup at the proper temperature. In one corner of the camp was 
a man frying flapjacks, and turning them on the griddle by a sudden twist of the elbow. The 
young man who was doing this was disguised as an ancient California " tough ; " but rumor has 
it that, despite all his recent practice and the loss of practice of the Pioneers from New Eng- 
land, some of the latter took hold, and, at least, equalled his act. 

Then came the arrival of the first mail by pony express, when the young boy was relieved of 
his burden by the anxious miners, who sought news from the loved ones far away. 

Next was pictured the arrival of the first woman ever in the camp. Amid shouts and 
laughter and uproar from both audience and miners. Miss Alice Eaton, snugly hidden away in 
a great brown sunbonnet, in calico dress and red shawl, preceded by her husband miner (Mr. 
George Eaton) on horseback, carefully carrying Little Louise Ross, all muffled up in blankets, 
rode into camp on a burro. A collection for the " Kid " was in order among the miners, and 
was faithfully carried out, the liberal old fellows going down deep into their purses and pouring 
out dust by the handful. 

"Grub pile" was shortly afterwards announced, and the campers made a wild rush for 
beans and coffee, first liberally patronizing the bar. From tin cups with tin spoons the coffee, 
steaming from the campfire, was drunk — even extending into the ranks of the guests, who 
seemed to enter with great interest into the realistic reminiscences- of old. And real, 
practical slapjacks and antiquated hard-tack too were on the bill of fare. 

After dinner the boys, by way of recreation, indulged in a little game of draw poker, over 
which a dispute arose, when the ever-ready six-shooter was drawn, and a shooting affray 
followed between "Horse-thief Bob" and "Sandy the Tough." Both men died game, and 
were carried from the scene of battle by their friends. As a customary act, letters were 
indited to their friends back home, which were read by " Big Jim, the Gambler," from a box, 
to the astonished crowd, as follows : — 

Greenhorn Camp, July 4, 1849. 

Mrs. R. A.Johnson, Sycamore, Ind. — 

Dear Madam : A sad misfortune has befallen our camp in the death of your son Robert, 
which occurred to-day at 3.30 o'clock. The reason of his death was that, although very 
handy with a gun, he got the first shot a trifle too high, and a man named " Sandy the 
Tough "—a low-down gambler and no gent — plugged Robert three times. 

However, your son died game, and shot his man twice, and he is now dead. It is too bad 
Robert got his first shot too high. We send with this all the gold which your son Robert had 
at the time of his death, together with a collection made up among the boys. 

Big Jim, 
Per Order of the Committee. 

P. S. We have taken off Robert's boots, and gave him a fine and decent burial ; but it 
might be as well to have a little sermon preached at home, as we are short of gospel sharps 
out here. ■"• J- 

The second letter read as follows : — 

Greenhorn Camp, July 4, 1849. 
Mrs. C. B. McDougal, Weston, Mo. — 

Dear Madam: A sad misfortune has befallen our camp in the death of your son Samuel, 
which occurred at 3.30 o'clock. The reason of his death was that " Horse-thief Bob " was too 



THE MIJ^IMQ CAMP. 65 

quick for him with his gun. But Samuel killed his man, although he did not get first shot. He 
never squealed at his hard run of luck. 

But it is too bad that he should die at the hands of such a thief as " Horse-thief Bob." We 
send to you all the gold he had at the time of his death, together with a collection taken up 
among the boys. Big Jim, 

By order of the Committee. 

P. S. We are requested by Samuel that we bury him with his boots on, as he insisted he 
might have to walk a good deal in the next world. A little home preaching might help him, 
as there are no preachers in these parts. B. J. 

The fun being over, all hands adjourned to take a drink, and the shooting affray was com- 
mented on as being a fair thing, as both men were shooters and both held four aces. 

An American flag was then unfurled, the first ever floated on the breeze west of the Rocky 
Mountains. It was made of red shirts, a pillow-case, and blue overalls. A yell of patriotism 
went up from the camp at the sight of it. A speech was called for from Secretary Whittemore, 
who was addressed as a San Francisco lawyer. He began by saying that upon this occasion 
we are boys again. When we came here we expected to enjoy ourselves, but never expected 
so much as we have received at the hands of the people of Pasadena ; and upon our return the 
ladies of our party will tell their children of the pleasant time we had in your city. We are 
now on a pilgrimage, but little did we think we should see a primitive mining camp such as is 
now before us. After speaking at length in an impassioned manner, he closed with the follow- 
ing toast : — 

" Here 's to the American flag ; may her stars light the nation to a goal of happiness, and 
her stripes lash well the backs of her oppressors." 

Captain Thomes was called upon, and expressed the thanks of the society to the citizens of 
Pasadena for their hospitable treatment. He said he was thinking of the time when the Jesuit 
Fathers crossed the sandy plains, and, standing on the heights of the Sierras, gazed on what 
is now the Crown of California. 

What would they say if they could see this lovely country now? We have been received 
with genuine Southern California hospitality, and will carry back with us to the East memories 
which can never be effaced. We also have a right to be proud of this country, because we 
laid the foundation of its prosperity. 

Now that the State had become so prosperous he would expunge the State motto "Eureka," 
and would place instead, ^'' Bastatite par todas,''' (Enough, for all). The speaker then closed 
with : — 

"Then your glasses fill, with right good will, 
And drink to this toast of mine : 
To the gallant band of our free land — 
The men of '49." 

Mr. Whittemore again took the rostrum (or box) and sang the following song, which miners 
used to sing on the banks of the Yuba River, written by Hon. Roscoe G. Smith, now of 
Cornish, Me., to the tune of the " Old Kentucky Home : "— 

The tall pines wave and the winds loudly roar; 

No matter, keep digging away. 
The wild flowers bloom round the log-cabin door, 

Where we sit after mining all the day. 



66 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 

A few more days and our mining will end, 

The caiion, so rich, will be dry; 
The tools on the bank shall be left for a friend. 

Then, my log-cabin home, good-by. 

Chorus. 

Mine no more, oh, never mine no more, but play ; 
We always will remember the log-cabin home 
Of the old '49ers, far away. 

The weary may be glad for a shelter through the night, 

. Not knowing, perhaps, it may be, 

By the old fireplace we are chatting with delight, 

By the blaze of the sugar-pine tree. 
The old cooking tools shall be left in the camp. 

All ready to bake and to fry. 
They all may be used by some miners on a tramp. 

Then, my log-cabin home, good-by. — Chorus. 

We '11 hunt no more for the grizzly in the nook, 

The " Diggers " we'll soon leave behind ; 
We' 11 drink no more from the clear, crystal brook. 

As round the log cabin it may wind. 
The old oak tree under which the cabin stands. 

All shady, at noon, where we lie ; 
A long, fond look at the old oak so grand. 

Then my log cabin home, good-by. — Chorus^. 

Ten bottles were then set up in a row, and Fred Burnham broke them all with his rifle, one 
at a time, in seven seconds and a half. He and Judd Blick then gave a fine exhibition of fancy 
shooting, holding their rifles in many difficult and unusual positions. This concluded the 
exercises at the picnic grounds above Scoville's, for the success of which no slight praise is 
due Judge Eaton and his gallant corps, George Eaton, Howard Conger, Will McGregory, 
George Glover, Pete Steil, Captain Lindsay, W. B. Ledoux, W. H. Storms, Alexander Carr, 
Ed. Carr, T. R. Burnham, and Judd Blick. 

Ice cream, cake, strawberries, and California fruits were freely served, in order to reproduce 
just what the Pioneers of '49 had for dinner "every day and Sunday, too." 

Then came the ride of two miles back to The Raymond, and the grand ball, which is said to 
have been the most brilliant of a brilliant season, given under the auspices of the Los Angeles 
Society of California Pioneers, under the management of Messrs. C. A. Scharff and H. W. 
Merrill, of the hotel. 

The spacious ballroom never wore a dress of such beauty before, nor ever appeared so invit- 
ing. A perfect wealth of California flowers welcomed the visitors. Upon entering the great 
doorway of the hall, the first object of beauty that caught the eye was a hut of flowers, repre- 
senting every variety and color in the ..floral dictionary. In the hut was an old Pioneer, Billy 
Prince, in typical Pioneer's costume, but breathing the fragrance of a house of roses. The 
stage was artistically set with shrubbery and semi-tropical plants, while flowers were literally 
strewn throughout the adjoining hallways and parlors. 



THE PROGRAMME. 



67 



The ladies' parlor was turned into a veritable mining camp, with tents pitched, and live 
burros, Chinese lanterns, and all the paraphernalia of a real camp. Spiders and kettles were 
on the rocks, apparently cooking miners' food; while guns, picks, shovels, and provisions lay 
around. 

The following unique programme of dance filled out a delightful evening : — 



Sicilian Circle 
Waltz . 
Cotillon . 
Polka 
Quadrille 
Waltz . 
Portland . 
Polka 
Lancers . 
Cotillon 
Waltz . 
Reel 



" On the Tramp." 

" The Rich Pocket." 

" Rock the Cradle." 

" The Prospectors." 

" The Pick and Shovel." 

" Fine Gold." 

*' The Big Nugget." 

"The Burro." 

" Wet Diggings." 

" The Flapjack." 

" Struck it Rich." 

"The Last Wash-up." 



A supper, given by the citizens of Pasadena, in keeping with all their lavish hospitality, 
terminated at the stroke of midnight, and we closed our weary eyes in slumber. 




PUBLIC LIBRARY, PASADENA AVENUE. 



68 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER IX 



IN MEMORY OF GENERAL CHAPIN. 

Green be the turf above thee, friend of my better days ; 

None knew thee but to love thee, nor named thee but to praise ! 

— Halleck. 

SUNDAY morning we attended the services at various churches, Mrs. Ball selecting the 
Universalist, to hear our old friend, Rev. P. M. McDonald, deliver a masterly presenta- 
tion of the possibilities of man, physical, mental, and spiritual, which point towards a 
realization of the text: " Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect." 
The churches were elaborately decorated. Imagine a cross containing 500 calla lilies ! In 
the afternoon some went to Los Angeles, some strolled, and some wrote home letters 
describing the good time we were having so many miles away. The stores were closed, and 
the churches well patronized ; while a baseball team, with a band, was drumming up patrons 
for a game. Eastern visitors are met everywhere. Captain Francis Willis, Mrs. Willis, Mrs. 
Ball, and I drive several miles out of town, to enjoy the beautiful and ever-changing scenery. 
We come to a queer-looking ranch, surrounded by a fence of hemlock planks, with every 
crack closed, about five feet high, with iron-bound gates of the same material, over which we 
see an array of moving heads with bulging eyes and big, gaping mouths. These odd features 
belong to ostriches, which reach over the fence as we come near, and take oranges from our 
pockets, swallowing them whole. The proprietor told us many interesting things about his 
strange stock. Once a number got away, and ran towards the mountains ; and the only way 
he could get them back was by having skillful men lasso them, one at a time, with their 
horses at full speed. One can carry two men on its back, and kill a dog with a blow of its 
foot. The voice is deep and hollow, resembling the roar of a lion. Its egg weighs three 
pounds, and it lays from twelve to fifteen. The male sits from 4.00 p. m. to 8.00 A. M., and 
protects his mate carefully the rest of the time. A chick is worth $100 at birth, and grows 
more valuable until maturity. The bird is driven into a small pen, and a stocking drawn over 
its head, when the plumes are to be clipped, for which sharp nippers are used, the stumps 
left being soon shed. From six to ten feathers are obtained twice a year. They eat whatever 
is set before them, if not too large, preference being given to untried dishes, like stones, nails, 
horseshoes, clay pipes, scissors, and other delectable viands of like nutritious qualities. We 
gave one an orange, which he swallowed, and then another and another, which followed the 
first so rapidly that the three could be seen at one time on their downward course, a foot or 
so apart. When in good spirits they will spin round and round like children, until giddy, 
when they fall, and sometimes break a leg. Before the wind they run, aided by their wings, 
with the speed of an express train, but they cannot fly. In an old Arabian tale an eagle said 
to an ostrich, whose kind was then the strongest and swiftest among the bii'ds of flight : 
" Let us go, brother, God willing, to the River of Life, and drink."' Far up through the 



/JV MEMORY OF GENERAL CHAR IK. 69 

empyrean they soared, past planets and stars, and on, and on, through tideless ether, until 
they saw and felt tlie glory blazing from the great white throne. But the ostrich, relying 
upon his wonderful strength, did not say or think " God willing," like the eagle, who still 
advanced with the strong, upward sweep of confident faith, his eye undimmed, his energy 
unabated. Nearer and nearer they approached, but a film was fast gathering over the eyes 
of the self-reliant ostrich ; his throat was parching, his feathers were singeing, his proudest 
plumes curling and turning black. Slowly he fell to earth, despite the most frantic struggles, 
his keenness of vision diminished, his power of flight gone forever; while his old and only 
rival, the trusting eagle, is now monarch of the air. " But this is a fable ! " you say. True ; 
and it may have a moral. 

The spacious hall of the Raymond Hotel was well filled that evening with members of the 
Society of California Pioneers of New England and their friends and the guests of the hotel, 
who assembled, by special call of Captain William H. Thomes, to hold memorial services and 
pay fitting tribute to the memory of our late brother Pioneer, General Samuel A. Chapin. 

The large and handsome room, with all its beautiful flowers, giving forth the fragrance of 
peace and good will, was thrown open at eight o'clock. 

President Thomes called the assemblage to order, and held the attention of the audience 
with a few personal reminiscences of our deceased fellow-member, in whose memory we had 
convened. And then he presented Rev. L. B. Hatch, who delivered an impressive eulogy 
of the deceased. 

Secretary Whittemore then read : " At a meeting of members of the Society of California 
Pioneers of New England, held on board the train after leaving San Bernardino, Cal., April 
1 8, 1890, the accompanying resolutions, which indicate the love and esteem cherished for the 
late General Samuel A. Chapin, a member of the society and of the excursion, were offered by 
the Secretary and passed unanimously, all standing reverently with bowed heads " : — 

Whereas, Death has entered our association in the midst of life and hope, and taken away one of our 
most valued and beloved members ; and, 

Whereas, The great divide has been crossed by one whose memory we shall ever cherish, whose vir- 
tues we shall always esteem ; therefore. 

Resolved, That in the sudden departure of General Samuel A. Chapin from this mortal sphere, we 
have been bereft of a comrade whose presence with us as Pioneers, at home and upon our excursion to 
the Pacific Slope, or wherever he has met with us, has always been a delight and a gratification. 

Resolved, That while we bow submissively to the stroke which has severed our comrade from us, and 
mourn over our loss, we cannot but feel that the brave soldier, the fearless pathfinder and Pioneer, the 
noble cidzen and friend, passed away triumphantly, having finished his course, leaving his benediction 
with those he died among. 

Resolved, That our sincerest sympathies be and are extended to his invalid wife at home, the devoted 
son who accompanied his beloved father towards the goal of his anticipations, and the afllicted family 
whose expectations, so soon to be realized, as they had fondly hoped, are now so unexpectedly blighted. 

Resolved, That the gratitude of the New England Society of California Pioneers is due and is extended 
to the Pioneers of San Bernardino and the gentle ladies and friends of that city, whose kindly offices 
and tender sympathies were shown in all their manifestations in the hour of our sadness and bereave- 
ment. 

Resolved, That a copy of these Resolutions be forwarded to the family of our deceased comrade, and 
that the same be offered the Los Angeles Evening Express and ^0%'i.oxi Journal for publication, and also 
entered in the records of the society. 

" Nearer, My God, to Thee " was next sung by the assemblage, standing, and a benediction 
pronounced by the minister, which closed the impressive ceremonies of the evening. 



70 pio:n'eers of '49. 

At a regular meeting of the San Bernardino Society of California Pioneers, held in the City 
Hall, Saturday April 19, President George Lord presiding, and all the officers and most of the 
members being present, the following resolutions were adopted : — 

Resolved, That we hail with great pleasure the visit of the California Pioneer Association of New 
England to the exciting scenes transpiring in our State over forty years ago, in which they took an 
active part, and now come to revisit after an absence of forty years. 

Resolved, That while this society deplores the sudden and untimely death of the noble adventurer 
and pathfinder, Pioneer General Samuel A. Chapin, one of the directors of the New England Society 
of California Pioneers, which happened in our opera house, on the occasion of the welcome extended 
to such Pioneers by this society, which was their first California greeting, we may devoutly wish that 
our Heavenly Father may call us away under the same happy, blissful, angelic surroundings ; and with 
the same grateful heart, overflowing with the thankfulness for the reception, particularly being met by 
so large a number of innocent school children, with flowers, which was more than that brave Pioneer 
heart could withstand. The memory of such an occasion will be embalmed in our hearts. 

Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect, this society, as a body, will accompany the remains 
to the Santa Fe Railroad depot. 

At 10.30 A. M., the San Bernardino Pioneers met and marched to the corner of Third and D 
streets, where they were met by Arrowhead Parlor, N. S. G. W. Both societies then marched 
to the Grand Rapids undertaking rooms, where the body of General Chapin lay in state, and 
the coffin lid was removed, and all were permitted to look for the last time upon the features of 
the old Argonaut. After all had taken a last look at the features of the deceased, the coffin lid 
was fastened on, and the pall bearers, consisting of Major Harris, David Aldridge, and Hughes 
Thomas of the Pioneers, and J. H. Stevenson, J. J. Nash, and A. Stark of the N. S. G. W., car- 
ried the casket to the hearse, and the cortege marched to the depot, the N. S. G. W. leading. 
There the casket was placed in the box, which contained several bouquets of roses and orange 
blossoms gathered by the N. D. G. W. and wives of the Pioneers. The elegant casket was 
exactly like the one in which General Grant was buried. 

Samuel A. Chapin, Jr., arrived from San Francisco on the Overland Express, and accom- 
panied the remains of his father to Boston. 

The Los Angeles Tribime of Friday, April 18, contained the following correct sketch: 
"General Samuel A. Chapin, one of the directors of the Society of California Pioneers of 
New England, had an early record as a Pioneer. In the spring of 1830, he left his home in 
Uxbridge, Worcester county, Mass., for Michigan, — then a territory, — and settled in White 
Pigeon, St. Joseph county. His account of roughing it, and especially his adventures when 
acting as sheriff of the county, are somewhat startling as well as amusing. 

" He was among the early volunteers from Michigan in 1S32 to enlist in the Black Hawk war, 
after which he received the military title he bore at the time of his death. He was a member 
of the House of Representatives at Detroit in 1840. Soon after the close of the session sick- 
ness in his family made it necessary for him to return to Massachusetts. But the spirit of the 
Pioneer was irresistible, and he landed at San Francisco May 20, 1850, after a rough passage 
on the Empire City on the Atlantic, a raging fever on the Chagres River, a delay at Panama 
for the Sarah Sereds, which did not arrive for many weeks, and a steerage passage on steam 
ship Oregon at a cost of $500, with 1,000 passengers on board. Organizing a mess with Ex- 
Governor Wm. Smith, of Virginia, L. B. Benchley, of San Francisco, and others, he found some 
favor with the officers of the vessel, and the passage was comparatively comfortable. He made 
an early voyage on the brig Reindeer to Humboldt Bay, shebeingthe second vessel to sail on 
its waters. Soon returning to San Francisco, he engaged in the hardware business for several 



CABEER OF GEMERAL CHAPIM. 71 

years. During this period he became a member of the Board of Education, and among its 
important duties was that of securing suitable lots for school purposes in future years. He 
was in full sympathy with the Vigilance Committee, and was a personal friend of the lamented 
James King, of William, founder of the Evenuig Bulletin. 

" While other early settlers were fighting the floods at Sacramento and Marysville, he was 
made to pass through the sweeping fires of San Francisco. He took part in celebrating the 
admission of California into the Union as a free State, Sept. 9, 1850. 

" He was actively engaged in quartz mining in Mariposa county, and afterwards on the Com- 
stock lode in Nevada. He was an alderman at Virginia City, and was a member of each of 
the constitutional conventions to make Nevada a State. With Mark Twain present as a 
reporter for the Territorial Enterprise, some rich times were enjoyed. The infirm health of 
a member of his family caused him to remove from San Francisco, in the spring of 1884, to 
Norton, Mass., the residence of an only sister, from which place he came on our excursion to 
visit his children and grandchildren in California. 




72 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER X. 

LOS ANGELES. 

When youthful Spring around us breathes, 

Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh; 
And every flower that Summer wreathes 

Is born beneath Thy kindling eye. 
Where'er we turn, Thy glories shine, 
And all things fair and bright are Thine. 

— Moore. 

M ON DAY forenoon, April 20, was passed in and about the Raymond Hotel, writing letters, 
and examining our beautiful surroundings. At one o'clock we left for Los Angeles, 
where, at two, we were most cordially received by the Pioneers and officers of that city. Among 
the distinguished natives who extended the hand of welcome was Don Pio Pico, the last gov- 
ernor of Alta California under the Mexican regime. He and Captain Thomes were old friends, 
and it was amusingto listen to them as they pattered Spanish, and resurrected the past. " Old 
Man Pico" shows few signs of his age — ninety years. Joshua Talbot, the oldest printer in 
California, who fought in the Mexican war, and Horace Bell, author of " Reminiscences of a 
Rano-er," was with Pio Pico. Tom J. Belford, who rode the first pony express into San Fran- 
cisco, and drank the first cocktail compounded at Milpitas, was on hand, hale and hearty. 
Nixon's big form towered above the crowd. H. D. Barrows, Charles W. Davis, Dr. W. F. 
Ed"-ar, J. E. Clark, W. H. Jones, and other prominent men were present. The mayor's office 
was soon so densely crowded that the reception was adjourned to the council chamber. Mayor 
Hazard told us how welcome we were to Los Angeles. " No people on the face of God's green 
earth are as welcome," he said, "as those who have carved their way across God's continent. 
You have left a heritage which our people cherish." He hoped we would all return and live 
with them. 

Captain Thomes made a telling reply, saying in conclusion : " The pulsations of your 
mio-hty hearts have thrilled the whole American Union with the accents of your prosperity. 
I, myself, have looked with admiration — not unmixed with envy — upon the signs of substan- 
tial prosperity of the people of this section." 

Carriao-es were announced, and our hosts entertained us with a memorable drive of two 
hours through "Z« Piieblo de la Reitia de los Angeles,''' or City of the Queen of the Angels, 
whose earthly abode is indeed not unworthy of the name. Hon. Frederick Pease, Mrs. Ball, 
and I were fortunate in the company of the wife of Judge Eaton, of the Pasadena mining 
camp. Ex-Mayor Wortman took Mr. Stephen W. Foster and others, and all the rest were 
taken in charge by people who knew the country well. 

Los Angeles is reached by the Southern Pacific Railroad in twenty-two hours from San 
Francisco — distance, 4S2 miles — or by steamer. It is a most beautiful city, of 60,000 people, 
is o-rowino- rapidly, and is a commercial point of much importance, as well as the centre of an 



LOS AJfGELES. 73 

agricultural paradise, it being the principal city between San Francisco and Kansas City on 
the new transcontinental line formed by the connection at Deming or El Paso. It is also the 
largest city between San Francisco and San Antonio, Tex., by the great " Sunset Route," 
now open to the Gulf of Mexico. The city has many elegant buildings, wide, clean streets, 
with horse, cable, and electric railways. A day's ride over the lovely country surrounding Los 
Angeles, through miles of long, straight avenues of orange trees, and thousands of acres of 
grapes, seeing every kind of semi-tropic fruit growing side by side with the more hardy fruits, 
both being in the greatest profusion, and of the finest quality, will convince the traveler from 
almost any part of the earth that here is surely the paradise of America, if not of the world. 

Since 1887 opened, nearly all of the principal business streets have been paved with 
Belgian blocks, and the main residence thoroughfares with concrete, thus making a drive equal 
to any avenue in the Union. 

Curbing has also received its share of attention, while the cement sidewalk is becoming 
universal. The city has an almost perfect sewerage system, which required an outlay of nearly 
1750,000. Since Jan. i, 1887, the Sixth Street Park, bounded by Fifth, Sixth, Olive, and Hill 
streets, has been thrown open to the public, and is in keeping with the many fine residences 
that surround it. The Second Street Park, situated near the terminus of the cable line of 
railroad, is a very inviting place, and receives its share of Eastern visitors when viewing the 
many improvements around Los Angeles. 

Los Angeles is essentially a land of schools. The public, high, and normal schools are 
supported by State taxation, and their doors are open to all. Besides, there are numerous 
universities, colleges, and academies. 

On every hand it takes but a few steps to carry one from business activity into the bowery 
repose which every citizen seems to take so much pride in keeping up about his home, be it 
cottage or mansion. Fine, clear water for irrigating runs in trenches through every street. 
From the higher ground a magnificent view is presented. The place has a varied and interest- 
ing history, and a prosperity tliat is phenomenal. 

Still, we could not help being amused at the number of real-estate agents doing business 
here ; it looked as if any one out of occupation would put out a real-estate shingle. Without 
going beyond the bounds of truth, they could tell wonderful stories ; but, for all that, I am 
afraid they did not stop at the limit named. Some of these men could have given Colonel 
Mulberry Sellers valuable hints. To such an extreme did some of them push their orations 
that we could not help feeling a kind of half malicious satisfaction when a witty reply was 
made. Once in a while an agent meets his match, as the following, by E. M. Johnstone, 
shows : — 

"A little dapper man, with a mild eye and an eastern make-up, called upon one of our real 
live boomers the other day, and asked, in the very softest and meekest tone, if he had any 
land for sale. The great real-estate king, not deigning to lift his eyes from his important busi- 
ness, asked in a loud, facetious tone if he wanted a colony, or would a township do him. The 
little man seemed embarrassed, and hoped he would be excused if he had mistaken this for a 
small retail place ; he meant no offence, etc., etc. Then the great magnate thawed out some- 
what, and took the small man in his chariot to tlie Great Paradise Regained Tract, where he 
filled him with a half-hour speech, fairly bestudded with glittering facts and figures, regarding 
this wonderful piece of land, and hinted, in closing, that that was the kind of North Americans 
we were out here in the West. When the speaker concluded for lack of breath, the small, 
mild-eyed man quietly removed his coat, and, rolling up his sleeves, he climbed upon the fence. 
and, clearing his throat, said : ' Now, allow me to describe this piece of property in the east- 



74 



PIOMEERS OF '49. 



ern tonsrue.' Whew ! talk about thoughts that breathe and words that burn ! ! The manner 
in which that stranger threshed the atmosphere with his arms, and used up the mother tongue, 
was prodigious ! 

" When he had finished, the magnate asked feebly of the stranger what his business was, 
and where he had come from. The small man said he had graduated in real-estate booming 
in Chicago, and had practiced in Kansas City, Omaha, and all the principal towns of the West; 
arid, elevating his voice, he stated that he was going to open a real-estate office right in that 
neighborhood, and going to do business, too, and called upon any one within sound of his 
voice not to forget it, either. The now vanquished and thoroughly exhausted magnate leaned 
heavily against the fence, and asked, in a voice husky with emotion, and scarcely above a 
whisper: '■ Stranger, can I post bills for y oil ?'''''' 

Don Abel Stearns, of Massachusetts, came to Los Angeles in 1828, started a store, turned 
Catholic, and married the eldest daughter of Don Juan Bandini, a beautiful heiress, and a true 
specimen of Castilian grace and charms. At one time Mr. Stearns owned 500,000 acres of 
the richest land in the southern part of California, and was reported to be worth millions in 
cattle and ranches. In a year of drought 40,000 head of his cattle died of starvation; but, by 

paying high rates of interest, he continued in busi- 
ness, and finally retrieved his losses. Just as he 
got his head above water he died, and left the rich- 
est and handsomest widow in Southern California. 
Colonel R. S. Baker, of Providence, R. I., who went 
to San Francisco in 1849, and made and lost a for- 
tune, married the rich widow. From that time he 
was prosperous; everything he touched turned to 
gold. 

Fifteen years ago Los Angeles gave few indica- 
tions of its coming prosperity, and capitalists hesitated to invest much money in its develop- 
ment. But Colonel Baker had full faith in the future of the place. He saw men idle and suf- 
ering for the want of work, and determined to help them. He tore down the old adobe house 
and store Mr. Stearns erected and lived in, and on the site built the celebrated " Baker Block," 
the most noted building in Los Angeles at the present time. People laughed at him, but he 
spent $250,000, and then there was not a tenant who would take one of his stores as a free gift or 
hire one of his suites of apartments. Now there are dozens waiting for the stores and rooms, 
and rent is no object. The building is a bonanza. From the finishing of the block there was 
a sudden revival of business at Los Angeles, and from that day to this the sound of axe and 
hammer can be heard in every direction, and prosperity has settled upon the place, largely 
owing to the boldness and impulsiveness of one who dared tempt fortune for the sake of his 
fellow-men. 

The City of the Angels is a beautiful place, and one can make a delightful home here if he 
has money to purchase all that goes to make life a blessing. But don't let Eastern people 
mistake one thing — that fortunes are to be had for the seeking; the silver dollar is quite as 
important an item as with us, and is clutched just as eagerly. 

At four o'clock we were received at the Chamber of Commerce by the members thereof and 
the ladies' annex thereto, the Native Sons and Daughters, and our fellow Pioneers of the 
city. The display of flowers was a commentary, not only upon the floral wealth of California, 
but also upon the taste of the ladies of Los Angeles. The fragrance of flowers greeted us at 
the threshold. Roses banked the mantel, decorated the tables, and ornamented the walls, 




LIVE OAK, ORANGE GROVE AVENUE. 




RECEPTION AT LOS AXGELES. 75 

arranged in various devices. The N. D. G. W. had, directly in front of the stage, a floral 
model of Sutter's Fort. At the left, representing the first vessel that entered the Golden 
Gate, was a ship of roses with masts of smilax. Near by were the pick and shovel of the 
forty-niner, and below the pan, rocker, and other implements of placer mining, all in flowers. 
At the right of the fort gate was a huge floral cannon of marguerites and marigolds, on a 
carriage whose wheels were made of scarlet geraniums and ivy leaves. 

Minerva, clad in a robe of yellow silk, with 
a golden crown on her blonde head, sat com- 
posedly near by, caressing a large bear, which 
crouched at her feet, with a gorgeous yellow 
ribbon around his neck. Over the entrance 
were the dates " 1849" ^"^ " 1890," in gilded figures, with an 
ox yoke between, and the word " Welcome " above. Suspended 
high above the fort was a cluster of golden globes represent- 
ing navel oranges. Inside were a representation of the only 
cabin now remaining at Sutter's Fort, a picture of General 
Fremont, California grasses and flowers, pampas plumes, and 

r Ti . r ^i-r • T • i 1 i i , ^i i- ROAD TO THE MISSION. 

a fine collection of California birds eggs, gathered by Charlie 

and Frank Bledso. The large flag, presented to the N. D. G. W. by Governor Waterman, 

draped the" back of the fort. The gate was guarded by a floral representation of an Indian. 

As soon as we had 'oeen decorated with button-hole bouquets, etc., by the Native Daughters 
and the ladies of the annex. Judge Eaton mounted the back end of the gallery, and called the 
meeting to order. He introduced Colonel J. J. Ayers, of the Herald, who delivered the address 
of welcome in the name of the Pioneers of the Pacific Coast. 

The speaker dwelt eloquently, in closing, upon the present glory of the State, and said : 
"While we cannot forget the past, we can look forward to a splendid future." 

Colonel Ayres was followed by Captain Thomes, who made quite a lengthy speech, in 
which he went back to 1842, when he first came to the coast, and showed the wonderful 
changes that have taken place since. He said, in conclusion : " Words but feebly express 
the feelings of the society I am called upon to represent, evoked by the most generous hospi- 
tality the people of Los Angeles have showered upon us. We left this a land of poverty ; we 
return to find it flowing with milk and honey. All Eastern Pioneers feel proud of California's 
present glory as a State. We laid the corner-stone; you have built the edifice. To the mem- 
bers of the native organizations present I would say : Go on until your work is the admiration 
of the world." 

Senator R. F. del Valle said that the objects of our organizations are "allegiance and fidelity 
to the native flag; keeping fresh the memory of the early Pioneers; the promotion of the 
brotherhood of man ; and an earnest effort to make the State as grand and prosperous as any 
in the Union." 

A warm welcome was then given by Albert F. Kercheval, " the Bret Harte of the Pacific 
coast," in the following beautiful poem, which was read by Colonel Stanford amid a storm of 
applause : — 

Old pardners, welcome back again. For you the glass we fill ; 
For you the campfires fresh we stir, the fatted calf we kill ! 
We're glad to see you all, you bet, and olden times recall, 
For here is gold in plenty yet, and room enough for all ; 



76 PIOJ{EERS OF '49. 

It gleams amid our orange trees, in every field of grain 

That waves and nods in every breeze, it burdens every plain. 

And you may strike a claim at will, unpack, and try your luck, 

Beside the claim of Yankee Bill, or Pike, or old Kentuck. 

Make camp with us ; here 's ground will pay good wages, never fear, 

From top to bed rock all the way, and water all the year. 

Though /orms are bent, and scant our hair, and beards as white as snow, 

With you our blankets still we '11 share, as in the long ago. 

Here meet we once again at last, beneath the fig and vine. 

While memory recalls the past — the days of forty-nine. 

Once more, dead broke, from Sutter's Fort, we take our various ways, 

Allured by true or false report, and start to " make a raise." 

Once more we pack o'er dizzy trail, and " whoop the mulas up," 

And drink our coffee dark or pale, from tin or pewter cup. 

We flip the festive flapjack o'er, and by our skillful means 

We make a royal bill of fare of rusty pork and beans. 

We hear once more the torrents roar, the sighing of the pines, 

And search for store of golden ore, among the lonely mines. 

We sing once more the glad refrain beside the golden streams. 

And rock the cradle once again, and dream the olden dreams, 

Cosumnes or Mokelumne, or Yuba's bars beside, 

By Feather or American, or Trinity's swift tide. 

Once more 'mid Hangtown's hills we delve, on Murderer's Bar we mine ; 

At Nigger's Tent and Yankee Jim's, You Bet, Red Dog, Port Wine, 

At Poker Flat and Poor Man's Creek, once more our luck we try. 

Where nuggets once were sown as thick as planets in the sky. 

And Whiskey Diggin's, Bloody Run, and Jackass Gulch once more, 

And many another classic spot, we work in fancy o'er. 

Bold knights of pick and pan were we, who smote with flashing steel 

The serried ranks of mountain heights, and made the giants reel, 

Till, one by one, we forced at last each genii-guarded door 

With fierce assault, and rifled each of all its golden store. 

We hear once more the Indian yell, we track the grizzly bear, 

'Mid wastes of tangled chaparral, and rouse him in his lair; 

Or chase the " Tiger " to his den, when night steals o'er the land — 

Red-shirted, bearded, fearless men, a brave, devoted band ! 

But where are they, the jolly boys, our noblest and our best, 

Who sailed the'mains, or braved the plains, to seek the Golden West.' 

They seek no more our camp of eves, when falls the gentle dew. 

We once were thick as summer leaves ; but, now, alas, how few ! 

Our comrades rest by many a trail, in lonely lands they sleep : 

On mountain heights, in every dale, in every cafion deep. 

In every vale, from south to north, in nameless graves they rest. 

By every stream that pulses forth from white Sierra's breast. 

They sleep, life's fitful fever o'er, beneath the skies of blue, 

From San Diego's sun-kissed shore to sunny Siskiyou; 



THE RECEPTIOJ^ AT LOS ANGELES. 



77 



'Mid far Montana's gold-veined hills; in all the lonely lands 
From Yukon's frozen, icy wastes to Arizona's sands. 
And we shall greet them never more, by sluice, or drift, or dump. 
Until, upon the other shore, old Gabriel blows his trump. 

O memories bright of vanished light — the light of other days ! 

What plans we laid, what pranks we played, around the campfire's blaze ! 

What schemes we schemed, what dreams we dreamed, beneath the sighing pine! 

What days were these, by sunset seas, O days of forty-nine ! 

O glorious days of simple ways, when hearts were warm and true. 

When dreams were bright, and cares were light, and skies were soft and blue ! 

Come back once more, with all your hopes, and all your joy and pain, 

O olden days, O golden days, come back to us again ! 

Secretary Whittemore expressed our sentiments in a few well-chosen words of thanks for 
our kind reception, and read an appropriate poem. General hand-shaking followed. Most of 
us returned to The Raymond at six o'clock, but a few remained until eleven, to attend the the- 
atre and other entertainments. 




A MISSION. 



I 



78 PIOJfEEBS OF '49. 



CHAPTER XI. 

SAN DIEGO AND CORONADO. 

Far southward in that sunny clime, 

Where bright magnolias bloom, 
And the orange with the lime tree vies, 

In shedding rich perfume. 

— James. 

TUESDAY, April 22, we left The Raymond at nine o'clock, and, passing through Los 
Angeles, proceeded over the Coast Division of the Southern California Railroad to San 
Diego, thence around the shore of the bay, through National City to the Hotel del Coronado. 

Secretary Whittemore was shown to Room 49, which not only reminded him of old days, but 
also presented a strong contrast with mining quarters, as it was, he said, one of the pleasantest 
hotel rooms he ever occupied. 

On the way from San Diego to Coronado, how often was I reminded of the similarity of 
much of the scenery to a drive from Naples through Herculaneum and Pompeii and on to 
Sorrento. 

Coronado Beach proper occupies about one half of the peninsula that forms the Bay of San 
Diego. It is situated in the extreme southwestern corner of the State, and is 480 miles south- 
east from San Francisco. The peculiar shape of this unique peninsula makes it difficult to 
describe. Beginning, as it does, very near the boundary line of Lower California, in Mexico, 
it reaches away to the westward for miles, until, at a point opposite the present city of San 
Diego, it forms a conjunction with what seems to have been an island which, if squared, would 
measure a mile and a half on each side. Thence trending toward Point Loma, it makes a con- 
junction with what is now known as the North Island, whose western extremity is under the 
friendly shadow of Point Loma, and borders the broad, deep channel to the remarkable harbor 
of San Diego. 

The Hotel del Coronado, a structure of truly oriental magnificence, is situated on the south- 
eastern portion of a beautiful mesa, sloping from the centre towards the ocean on one side, 
and the Bay of San Diego on the other. The architecture, which is very attractive, is of a 
mixed character, partaking largely of the Queen Anne style, modified by that of the 
Elizabethan era. The architect has successfully harmonized the excellencies of both ancient 
and modern schools, producing a structure admirably adapted to the purpose intended, 
remarkable for size, symmetry, and grandeur, and combining the maximum of convenience and 
usefulness with great elegance and beauty. The building is of three, four, and five stories, 
and in size is said to be unrivaled by any resort hotel in this country or in Europe; and in its 
magnificent splendor, within and without, it has few rivals. It is built around a quadrangular 
court 250 X 150 feet, and this court is filled with beautiful flowers and tropical plants. 

Eacli of its four fronts is a handsome fagade, with wide verandas, whose combined length is 
considerably over two miles. The side facing the ocean is all encased in glass, and the grounds 



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80 PIOJVJEUES OF '49. 

in front of it are handsomely terraced and laid off in grass with broad walks, forming pleasant 
promenades. 

The driveways and approaches, made of asphalt and bituminous rock, form a hard, smooth, 
and easy surface. The sidewalks are made of Portland cement, and encircle the grounds, 
which cover about twenty acres. These grounds are most tastefully laid out in lawns, orna- 
mented with tropical plants and shrubs. 

The main entrances are on the east front, where also is the rotunda. This is a very hand- 
some apartment, having a floor area of 3,000 feet. The ends of the dining-room are oval, its 
ceiling is semicircular, 33 feet high, and it is 6^ x 160 feet, with neither post nor pillar to inter- 
rupt the view. The finish of the walls and ceiling is a beautiful and effective white paneling 
of Oregon pine varnished, and the dado is of solid oak in its natural color varnished. The 
breakfast-room is the counterpart of the dining-room, differing only in size. Besides these 
rooms there are several smaller private dining-rooms. 

In the walls of the basement 2,000 tons of rock and 13,000 barrels of Portland cement were 
used. This part of the house is used for billiard-rooms, bar-rooms, bowling alleys, bakery, 
confectionery, and store-rooms, restaurant, coffee and lunch rooms, hair-dressing rooms, hot 
and cold fresh and salt water baths, and here also is a cistern, having a capacity of 500,000 
gallons. Elevators run from this basement to the top floor. The seating capacity of the 
dining-room is 1,000; floor area of restaurant, 2,500 feet; total floor area, yyi acres; observa- 
tory, 150 feet high; ceiling of dining-room, 33 feet high; four 85-foot bowling alleys; 750 
rooms; 1,300 feet frontage ; area of breakfast-room, 4,800 feet; area of assembly-room, 11,000 
feet; 30 billiard tables, four for ladies ; 2,500 incandescent electric lights. 

Morris Phillips, in the New York Home Journal, writes thus of the Coronado bridal suite ; 

" Taken as a whole, there are more prettily furnished bedrooms in Long's Hotel, London, 
than in any other hotel I have ever seen. The tower rooms in The Oglethorpe, at Brunswick, 
Ga., are large and remarkably beautiful, and the bridal suite in the Ponce de Leon is sup- 
posed to be very choice; but the Ponce de Leon 'show' apartments will not compare in 
beauty nor in completeness of detail with the bridal suite in Hotel del Coronado. These 
rooms in the Coronado are not so palatial in size nor in the matter of costly frescoes as the 
rooms in the London Metropole, in which I found Mr. and Mrs. Augustin Daly, last October; 
but they certainly are among the most tastefully furnished hotel bedrooms I have ever seen, 
and it is not surprising that the photographs of these apartments find many purchasers. 

"The windows afford an eastern view that is extremely pleasing. To the right are seen the 
ocean's rough breakers; to the left is the smooth bay of San Diego; while in the immediate 
front, as you lie in bed, if the curtains are parted, and you are awake at 6.20 A. m., you can see 
the sun creeping up behind a range of great mountains, miles and miles away. The soft cloud 
of black smoke curling from the tall, round, red brick chimneys of the electric-light engine 
house, between you and the golden sky beyond, does not mar the picture in the least. 

"Across the centre of the principal room of the suite are three arches, supported by the side 
walls, and by two fluted wooden columns ; and under the arches are heavy portieres of double 
silk, salmon pink on one side, old gold on the other. The windows are draped elaborately and 
beautifully — light blue silk shades, lace curtains next to the windows, with inner curtains of 
heavy pale blue silk lined with silk of a rose tint. The furniture is of mahogany, upholstered 
with blue silk plush ; the carpet is a rich moquette in delicate colors; and the toilet set is in 
Haviland Limoges, decorated in deep blue, white and gold. The ceiling is daintily frescoed. 
From its centre depends a three-light electrolier; from the wall, over the bureau mirror, juts 
out a bracket with two electric lamps. The mantel is ornamented with two side pieces of 



BECEPTIOX AT SAJV DIEGO. 81 

Limoges and a bronze cathedral clock — a miniature representation of the clock in the Houses 
of Parliament, in Westminster. If you do not get from these notes the idea of a luxurious and 
tasteful apartment, the fault is not with those who furnished it, but with the pen which has 
failed to describe it." 

We arrived at two o'clock, and at three we were conducted to the dining-room, where a boun- 
tiful lunch was partaken of. As we came from lunch we proceeded to stroll about, and examine 
our surroundings with keen interest. A party of our Pioneers had just grouped themselves on 
the warm veranda for a chat, when we were joined by Senator Bowers, Mayor Gunn, I. jM. 
Merrill, W. C. Kimball, and Frank A. Kimball, of San Diego. At the latter place we had 
been met and joined by President Kastle, of the Chamber of Commerce, H. H. Dougherty 
and Daniel Stewart, of the San Diego Pioneers, L. A. Blockman, C. K. Stewart, and George 
K. Knowles, of San Diego Parlor, io8, N. S. G. W., and by Rev. and Mrs. B. F. McDaniel. 

President Kastle, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, extended an invitation to us to 
visit that institution, and, the invitation being accepted, set about making the occasion one of 
pleasant intercourse between the citizens of San Diego and our party. 

We crossed the ferry, arriving at half-past seven, and were met and welcomed by Mayor 
Gunn, President Kastle, and Secretary Nolan, of the Chamber of Commerce. Accompanied 
by numerous San Diego people, among whom was a plentiful representation of the Ladies' 
Annex, we passed up and down the long aisles of the exhibit hall, attentively examining the 
extensive' display of products on exhibition. The reception-room had been tastefully deco- 
rated by the members of the Annex with rich and rare floral designs, and the brilliantly 
lighted apartments presented an animated scene with its many groups of interested visitors, 
animated by discussing the wonders of San Diego. 

A delegation from San Diego Parlor, No. loS, N. S. G. W., occupied the space to the right 
of the speakers' stand, while citizens filled the exhibit hall. 

President Kastle, in a few^ well-chosen words of w^elcome to the visitors, introduced Mayor 
Gunn, who said : — 

"Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Society of California Pioneers of New England: 
It is with pride that I extend a welcome to your organization, because San Diego is the pioneer 
city of California, the oldest organized municipality on the coast. And surrounded by all the 
romantic reminiscences of the past, we are pleased to welcome you to the stirring life of the 
present. You have not only seen history, but have also made history. They were the elect of 
the land who laid the foundation of this great State. The men of '49 were great men — the 
kind who build great States. The work they began has been accomplished. California could 
not have become the great commonwealth that it is but for the men of '49. [Applause.] While 
you are with us each is one of us, and we welcome you." 

Henry L. Ryan, representing the Native Sons, said, with feeling, that in viewing the assem- 
bled Pioneers the young men of his organization felt that they were looking upon their fathers, 
whom they cordially welcomed back to the Golden State. He pictured the caravan journeys 
of the Pioneers of '49, across snow-capped mountains, and alkali deserts, where the bleaching 
bones of famished animals marked the path of the future traveler to this coast. Comparing 
that period with the present, he spoke of the wonderful progress of the State, which was due 
to the efforts of the Pioneers. They had laid such a foundation that those who came after 
them had been able to build upon it a glorious State. Therefore the Native Sons desired to 
express their gratitude, and to say for the people of the State that, from every miner's cabin to 
every millionaire's palace, the Pioneers were cordially welcome. 

Senator W. W. Bowers was next introduced, and said: "I don't know that I can add 



82 PIOXEEES OF '49. 

much except to say that our welcome is the more hearty, because, in a certain period in the 
past, you were permitted the privilege of sojourning awhile in the Garden of Eden. We will 
not stop to inquire why you went out, but will heartily welcome you back to see the glorious 
land of your former sojourn. I lived in New York and Wisconsin awhile, and have lived 
twenty-one years and five months in California. A man ought to count as a treasure every- 
day that he is allowed to spend on the golden coast of California. And now we hope that the 
decree of your banishment will be set aside, and that you will come back to us. It is the 
most proper thing in the world that you should organize and return ; and we hope now that, 
when you go home, all your memories may be pleasant all the days of your lives. During 
this brief visit you see only one leaf of a great volume of changes. We hope you will turn 
several more of these leaves before you leave the State. They will interest 30U. In closing, 
I can extend no better wish than that you all may be permitted to end your days in California." 

Captain Thomes, the president of our society, was then called upon, and said the Pioneers 
had come among the people of San Diego with their hearts upon their sleeves. Senator 
Bowers had said they left the Garden of Eden, as he called California, some years ago. The 
speaker did not know about that —his impression was that his party left San Francisco because 
the Vigilance Committee was being formed just then. But their offenses were now outlawed 
and they can come back without any risk. We are glad to meet the people of San Diego 
tonight, and are glad to find that California is inhabited by Christians. In the old days the 
Spanish galleons sailed into this harbor from Acapulco, and the Indians in this classic old city 
were converted by men who carried the cross in one hand and the sword in the other. By and 
by the missions failed and the priesthood died out. It seems like a romance to be here. How 
well I remember the hot day in July when our ship dropped anchor in front of the hide houses 
at San Diego! What a barren and inhospitable coast it was then! Indians, priests, and 
Mexicans living in a (fo/ce far niaite of idleness. I would give all of San Diego to be as 
young as I was then ! You have imbibed hospitality from the Sierra Madre Mountains. Hos- 
pitality and California go hand in hand. In all the great cities of the East, societies of California 
Pioneers are forming, and men are proud to have it known that they were identified with the 
early history of this magnificent State. It seems a month since we came, — we have seen so 
much. As our train pulled out of the Boston depot, one of our old comrades, who was unable 
to accompany us, came up and took my hand, and said, with tears in his eyes, " Carry to the 
people of California my loving remembrance ; God bless them ! " No wonder we hear no talk 
about California being poor, with her $1,000,000,000 of assessed valuation. Fifty years hence 
you will have a population of 5,000,000, and your State will extend to the Gulf of California, 
and you will have so improved the Colorado River that it will be navigable from its mouth to 
The Needles. The prospect of your prosperity is unbounded. San Diego has grown from a 
Mexican town into a prosperous city, with the most noble harbor on the coast. A few years 
ago I was sent out here by a Boston paper to write the State up or down, as the case might be. 
Well, I wrote it up. I spoke of San Diego, and said it had the most noble harbor outside of 
San Francisco. The papers there jumped on me, and said I was evidently a tenderfoot, and 
did not know what I was talking about. But I had had many a hard pull at the oars, trying to 
make my ship, in the rough bay of San Francisco. I can scull a boat from one end of San 
Diego Bay to the other, — it is so calm." 

Referrina; aeain to his own disconsolate wanderings on this coast, "from San Diego to San 
Francisco," he quoted the entry made by his old captain, who is still living, as he closed his 
diary on sailing out of San Francisco Harbor in 1843: " Good-by, San Francisco, the God 
forsakenest hole in this world ! May I never see you again, so help me God ! Amen." 



RECEFTIOJ^ AT SAJ{ DIEGO. 83 

Then, as the laughter subsided, Captain Tliomes added that this same cajjtain returned to 
San Francisco with his cHpper ship in 1S49, when the golden stream began to pour from the 
State, and was very glad to get back to the place under its altered conditions. The captain 
promised to return next year and stay longer, when he would meet the ladies and kiss the 
children, — desiring it to be understood that he was not a candidate for the State Senate, — but 
begged them, in all kindness, to ask no more why the Pioneers had left California. 

B. F. Whittemore, of Boston, secretary of the society, said that the Pioneers had not only 
been received with a heartfelt outburst of welcome, but had literally been taken in the arms of 
the Californians, and carried thus far. He would like to double the hours of the day and 
the days of the week while on the coast, as there was not time enough to enjoy the generous 
hospitality offered them at every place. Nor had the Pioneers words that could express the 
gratitude they felt. The New England Pioneers were a body of considerable strength, and 
their meeting-place was at the " Hub " of the universe, which they had to bear in mind while 
hearing the Californians boast of the future. He would like to stay a fortnight with each one, 
^he was so delighted with San Diego. 

His own organization contained 3S0 Pioneers. They met and banqueted the last Wednes- 
day of every month, and every Californian in Boston was welcome. The society's Fourth of 
July w^as on September 9, — California's admission day, — when their annual celebration was 
held in honor of the Golden State, the greatest in the galaxy of the sisterhood of stars. He 
congratulated the Native Sons on their organization, formed to perpetuate the memories of 
the early Pioneers. 

The Vigilance Committee, to which President Thomes alluded, he professed to know 
nothing about, claiming that it was a girl in the East whom he loved who was responsible for 
his desertion of California. The Pioneers who were in his delegation were all voung men — 
none over thirty-five, and, appealing to President Thomes for the average age of the ladies 
accompanying them, stated it to be but twenty-two. The alkaline dust of this country was 
what had silvered some of the Pioneers' heads. 

He believed it was well that the men of the East should grasp hands with the men of the 
West, of whose grand future it was impossible to conceive. And in poetic diction the secre- 
tary closed his address, assuring the San Diegans that, but for the attractions of their own 
beautiful Coronado, a larger number of the Pioneers would have been present. 

Hon. F. Pease, of Boston, was called out, speaking briefly of the paradise into which they 
had come, and thanking the San Diegans for their hospitality. 

At the conclusion of the reception, the society was presented with a beautiful floral cross, 
from the ladies of Encinitas, and by the Chamber of Commerce with photographic views of 
the permanent exhibit. 

A brilliant hop was given that evening by the management of the Hotel del Coronado ; and 
the next morning, by invitation of the San Diego Board of Trade, we took a drive to the Sweet- 
water Dam, about six miles back of National City. This dam is one of the engineering won- 
ders of this region, and an excursion to it is a most enjoyable experience. The dam, together 
with sixty-five miles of wrought-iron pipe laid from the reservoir to National City, and to vari- 
ous points in that section for irrigation purposes, cost a total of $800,000. The dimensions of 
the dam are as follows : Forty-six feet in thickness at the base, twelve feet in thickness at 
the top, seventy-five feet in length at the base, 396 feet in length at the top. The reservoir is 
three miles long, three fourths of a miles wide, and covers 700 acres. When full it will hold 
6,000,000,000 gallons of water, a quantity sufficient to irrigate 30,000 acres of land and supply 
a city of 50,000 people for one year, or irrigate 50,000 acres of land one year. 



84 PIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 

The great boom, which raged like wildfire from San Francisco Bay through southern Cali- 
fornia ard far into Mexican territory along the Pacific, was nowhere more violent than at and 
near San Diego. In 1887, when the boom was at its height, real-estate dealers displayed maps 
of what we usually call the United States, but marked by them " San Diego's Back Country." 
Even twenty-five-foot house-lots found ready sale. Dozens of companies sold over $250,000 
worth of land in a few days, with over half their land left. The next step was to spend their 
cash for a hotel ten times as large as could be needed for a quarter of a century, and for other 
improvements to correspond. A prominent exception was the Coronado Beach Company, 
which took $2,500,000 in one year, paid its debts, and entered upon its remarkable career of 
prosperity; but almost all the other companies were composed of poor men, when the bubble 
burst. General and irretrievable ruin was anticipated, but it did not come; for, while the boom 
fever was raging in the city, the land behind the surrounding hills was being settled by indus- 
trious men, who, bv means of the Sweetwater and San Diego River reservoirs, had made 
thousands of acres fertile, and by their prosperity saved the city from ruin, as is generally 
acknowledged. No wonder they are proud of this reservoir. 

As we rode along, overlooking the magnificent harbor, I was reminded of the 26th day of 
April, 1852, when, as quartermaster of the mail steamer New Orleans, I called at tlie mouth of 
the harbor and remained long enough for the captain to exchange mails with the San Diego office. 
We had several hundred passengers, who were loud in their complaints because we "fooled 
away" three hours of their. valuable time on post-office business; but it was a pleasure to me, 
standing in the foretop, to look out over the peninsula, which makes out from the east and 
south, and gives such security to the largest vessel riding in the bold water under its lee. 
How much this harbor resembles the Bay of Naples, National City suggesting Pompeii ! 

San Diego is the oldest of the California mission towns, the first church having been planted 
herein 1769; but its present importance is of recent growth, caused by the building of the 
California Southern Railroad, a part of the Santa Fe system. In iSSo the population was 
2,637 ; now it is over 25,000, with other developments to correspond. 




COEOXABO TO S.dCRAME^'TO. 85 



CHAPTER XI I. 

SACRAMENTO AND VICINITY. 

The plains recede; the olives dwindle; 

The chestnut slopes fall far behind ; 
The skirts of the billowy pine woods kindle 

In the evening lights and wind. 

— Aubrey de Verb. 

AT 2.00 P. M. Wednesday, we left Coronado for Sacramento via Los Angeles. The ride 
along the ocean was delightful. Whales were seen in the distance, with countless sea 
fowl flying and swimming near the shore, and thriving farms and orchards in the opposite 
direction. We reached Los Angeles at 7.00 p. m. Some attended a rose show in the rooms of 
the Chamber of Commerce, of which I need only to say it was wonderful even for this land 
of flowers. The hall was packed with young and old. Athletic performances were given on 
the stage by the Y. AL C. A. I attended the theatre to see Rice's "Evangeline," which was 
well rendered. It did me good to see Mr. Hanson laugh. At 2.00 A. m. we proceeded. 

Leaving Los Angeles, we climb by the railway the valleys of the Los Angeles and the San 
Fernando, and twenty-six miles from the city and t,2oo feet above it, or at an altitude of 1,469 
feet, go through the San Fernando Tunnel. This passes through the mountain range of the 
same name, and is 6,967 feet in length. On the north side are several small towns or settle- 
ments. Then we come to the western part of the Mojave Desert, the eastern section of which 
was traversed on entering California. One of the most remarkable triumphs of railway 
engineering skill ever achieved in any part of the world is found just north of Tehachapi Sum- 
mit, which has an elevation of 3,964 feet. A group of mountain peaks and crags belonging to 
the terminating southwestern spur of the Sierra Nevada here disputed the advance of the iron 
steed; but by a series of complex and bewildering curves, and finally, by actually crossing its 
own line, a pathway was made. The views from the railway line are very picturesque, and 
often of wide extent. 

We stopped an hour for water at Bakersfield and an hour and a half at Fresno, the home of 
the late Judge D. S. Terry. The avenues here are wide, straight, and beautiful, with trees and 
flowers. Our train passes through soma of the principal streets, but does not seem to inter- 
fere with business. Tulare, Madera, and Merced are other important places, pleasantly situ- 
ated and well laid out as a rule. During the night we made a short stop at Lathrop, where 
Judge Terry assaulted Judge Field, and was killed by the latter. The story of Judge Terry, 
as well as that of his widow, Sarah Althea (Hill) (Sharon) Terry is one of misdirected talent — 
of unrestrained passion — sad but instructive. It is too well known and too recent to need 
repetition. 

Throughout this ride from San Diego to Sacramento, and, indeed, everywhere we went in 
California, we were impressed with the wonderful results attending the scientific use of water 
in agriculture. Much of our practical knowledge of the art of irrigation has been derived 



IRRIGATION. 87 

from ruins in Arizona, which were so old in 1542, when Coronado visited that section, that tra- 
ditipn could only tell of the destruction of the men who built the 1,000 miles or more of canals. 
A careful writer says of the Salt River and Gila River country : — 

" How populous these valleys once were ! is the first thought that comes to the mind. How 
great the skill and ingenuity that this prehistoric people possessed for their time and day is 
the next. Never has the level of the best of modern engineers been able to improve on the 
lines of the ruined canals, which they have left behind them ; while in the selection of loca- 
tions, at which to take the water from the rivers, is always exhibited the greatest skill and 
intelligence. It was these ruins that, in the early seventies, first gave the American settlers 
th2 idea of reclaiming the valley where now stands Phoenix, the capital of the Territory, sur- 
rounded by a population of nearly 20,000 souls, the first canal constructed simply following 
the line of a prehistoric one. In the selection of the routes of the subsequent ones, it was 
merely the question of picking out of the labyrinth of ruins the lines of the main canals, and 
following them. This, at times, was difficult work, for some of the laterals were of considera- 
ble size and capacity. 

" How extensive the entire system of irrigation in the Salt River valley alone was, may be 
inferred from the fact that the amount of land practically covered by the canals was over 
^250,000 acres, — nearly treble the area of the lands at present actually cultivated within the 
county of Los Angeles, California. The population supported must have been verj- great, for 
it is almost impossible to find an acre within the line of ancient acequias on which fragments 
of pottery, shell ornaments, or stone implements cannot be found, while the ruins of ancient 
adobe habitations can be seen in every direction, where they have not been obliterated by the 
settler. These are always of the style still to be found among the Zuni, Mocjui, and other 
Pueblo Indians of the Southwest — thick, strong walls, with few openings for doors and win- 
dows, and small rooms, with the buildings clustering so closely together as to form almost one 
tenement. Estimating the acreage of the past as being one acre to two persons, — the present 
rule among the Pueblo tribes, — the population supported by the ditches would not fall short 
of 500,000 — an estimate the best authorities consider conservative." 

Under modifications of the ancient Arizona system, and by more modern methods, great 
changes have been wrought in California. Since the passage of the Wright irrigation law, 
there have been formed districts under the provisions of that measure, by which 1,500,000 
.acres of hitherto dry land will be irrigated, while projects are well under way by which a grand 
total of 2,000,000 acres will be put under water. The law has been in operation only three 
years, but in that time twenty-six districts have been formed, the territory covered extending 
from Colusa to San Diego. It is no exaggeration to say that the value of the lands supplied 
with water under this law has been increased at least tenfold. Certainly their productive 
capacity has been augmented in even greater ratio. At the same time, the cost of putting 
the water upon the land is so small as to be hardly worth considering ; $10 an acre being an 
outside figure, while the land so supplied is made to be worth at least $100 an acre, and in 
many cases much more. 

It is worth wnile to consider what a difference these irrigation enterprises will make in the 
condition of tne sections where they are being carried out. Without water these lands are 
fit only for pasturage or the production of precarious crops of hay or grain. Here is a 
statement of about the outside limit of their capacity under the most favorable climatic 
conditions : — 

When unirrigated, eighty acres of pasture land for cattle or sheep will yield 5200, which 
amount is also a fair estimate for any of the following: — 



88 PIOjYEEBS of '40. 

Twenty acres of barley, twenty acres of grain hay, twenty acres of wheat, or twenty acres 
of oats. When irrigated, however, the productive power of the land is at once increased to- 
an almost indefinite extent, thus : — 

Five acres of alfalfa produce $200, a return that can be counted upon with certainty from 
four acres of apples, two acres of apricots, two acres of plums, one acre of figs, one acre of 
peaches, one acre of almonds, one acre of walnuts, three fourths of an acre of raisin grapes, 
two thirds of an acre of Bartlett pears, one-half acre of cherries, one-fourth acre of blackberries,. 
or one-fifth acre of olives. 

These figures, too, are all upon a very conservative basis, while the production of the 
unirrigated land is put at an outside limit. 

The number of people that these two million of acres of irrigated land will support is some- 
thing enormous. Allowing a family of five to each twenty acres, there would be 100,000 families,, 
or 500,000 souls (or, if the population should become as dense as in ancient Arizona. 4,000,000). 
But in addition there would also be half a dozen settlements, aggregating doubtless another 
100,000 population ; but while unirrigated the same area would afford scant support for not a 
twentieth part of the number. Such, in brief, are a few of the benefits conferred upon the 
State by the introduction of irrigation upon an extensive scale. 

Friday morning, April 25, finds us at Sacramento at seven o'clock. Carriages in waiting 
convey us to the Golden Eagle Hotel. We were at once taken in charge by the local 
forty-niners and a public committee of reception, and royally did they entertain us. A cordial 
welcome, given in the hotel parlors by Mayor Comstock, received fitting reply from our 
ofiicers. Then came our kind hosts with teams, in which we were driven all around their 
beautiful city, — a place doubly interesting to us, for here were many familiar spots of our 
enrlv adventures. Some of us found old acquaintances, and what a pleasure it was to renew 
the friendships of forty years ago ! 

Sacramento, around which cluster so many thrilling memories of the early days of Cali- 
fornia, is now a handsome city of about 50,000 inhabitants. " Sutter's Fort " was established 
in 1S41, two years after John A. Sutter settled here, and the town itself was founded in 1848. 
Riots, fires, and floods were among its early experiences, and great damage was done to the 
young town as late as 1861 and '62. The streets are commodious and regularly laid out, and 
they are lined with handsome residences and business blocks. The public buildings are 
elegant; and the State Capitol, which cost $3,000,000, is really imposing. It occupies a 
beautiful park, which is adorned with trees and flowers, and in its main design is a copy of 
the National Capitol in Washington. The dome rises to an elevation of 220 feet. The 
capital of California was permanently located at Sacramento Feb. 25, 1854, and the present 
Capitol building was completed in 1869. The State library contains over 60,000 volumes. 
In Capitol Park are also the exposition pavilion of the State Agricultural Society and the 
State Printing Office, in which are printed, in addition to the usual work for the State, the 
text books for use in the public schools. The State Agricultural Society has also an exten- 
sive park for the exhibition of stock and one of the finest race tracks in the world. The 
Crocker Art Gallery is much the finest collection of paintings and statuary on the Pacific 
Coast. This institution was donated to the city by Mrs. E. B. Crocker. This estimable and 
philanthropic woman also established and gave to the city an Old Ladies' Home. Sacramento 
has an Association of Pioneers and also one of Sons of Pioneers. 

It is diflncult to realize that this beautiful city is the place where we bought supplies for the 
mines in the days of gold. Then people encamped under the trees that were standing near 



SACRAME.KTO. 



89 



the landing, and ate fried pork and corn meal johnny-cake for the want of something better, 
and dreamed ut the gold that was to be theirs by the mere seeking. At that time this place 
was a collection, a conglomeration, of board huts, shelter tents, brush arbors, without order, 
without conveniences. 

What a busy place was Sacramento in those days ! It was the headquarters for all who 
sought the northern mines. There was gold on every hand, in scales, nuggets, and coin ; and 
silver was sneered at. Prices were high for everything, teaming was a dollar a pound, and 
flour and pork scarce and dear. Work was abundant for all, while the gambler reaped a rich 
harvest from the half-drunken miners with bags of dust in their pockets, which lightened as 
they tempted fate, with all the chances against them. No one could help making money in 




THE CAPITOL, SACRAMENTO. 

those days, for every one was careless of his wealth, and many squandered it in the most 
wanton style, and had bitter cause to regret it afterwards, when want took the place of plenty. 
The city of Sacramento of this period does not resemble the city of 1849. ^^ '^ situated on 
a level plain at the junction of two important rivers, and surrounded by high dykes to keep 
out the waters of winter after a heavy rain. Many times has it been flooded so that boats 
were required to navigate the streets ; but the people do not worry over such annoyances, and 
come up smiling and thinking of the great crops the rains will produce, for the land is rich 
beyond description in every direction. In the valley of the Sacramento, way off towards the 
foot hills, there can be raised magnificent oranges, the largest and best flavored strawberries, 
the most lu.xuriant of cherries, golden-hued peaches, honey-tasting apricots, acid lemons, 
sour limes, and, in fact, all the fruits that grow near Los Angeles can be raised 4S0 miles north; 
and, what is of much importance, all the above varieties of fruit, including grapes, are earlier 
in the market than those of Southern Cahfornia. 



90 



PIOXEERS OF '49. 



To the north of Sacramento City there are lands that are very productive, for the wheat and 
barley crops never fail. There are great cattle ranges in this region, and sheep runs where 
the animals thrive all winter without shelter; for the grass is green and thick after the rains 
set in, and in the summer the numerous streams are never dry, fed, as they are, by the snows 
of the mountains. 

I noticed that the river is not so deep as it was in 1S50, and, when I asked the reason was 
told that hydraulic mining had caused large quantities of sand and silt to be deposited in the 
bed of the stream. All the way down to San Francisco Bay the shoaling of the water was 
noticeable to one who knew 
it when large vessels moved 
freely where now there are 
flats or sand-bars. 

Sutter's old fort has now 
only a historical interest for 
visitors, as its crumbling 
walls are forbidding in ap- 
pearance, and what was once 
a place of enterprise, of carn- 
age, riots and plots, is now 
the undisputed stall of beasts. 
But memories made it pre- 
cious to us, and we bowed 
almost reverentially within 
the enclosure as we re- 
hearsed its story and associ- 
ations. It is a ijleasure to 
add that, Sept. 9, 1S90, the 
Pioneers all over the country 
added their contributions to 
those of our brethren in Cali- 
fornia and of the N. S. G. W. 




sutter's fort — 1849. 



and N. D. G. W. ; and the amount raised, supplemented by a generous gift from Senator 
Leland Stanford in the following October, will purchase and preserve the fort for many years. 
The State has been asked to receive and take charge of the property. 

Restaurants and saloons had the four and nine of spades pasted upon their mirrors. 

At I. GO r. M. we were banqueted at Pioneer Hall. President Lawson, of the Sacramento 
Society, was at the head of the table, with President Thomes on his right. The table was 
literally loaded down with California products, wines, etc., and we " pitched in '' with a will. 
President Lawson and Mayor Comstock briefly welcomed us, and replies were made by 
President Thomes and Secretary Whittemore. N. Greene Curtis made a speech which created 
great enthusiasm. Secretary of State Hendricks made a few happy remarks, after which the 
banquet broke up with cheers. 

At two o'clock we were escorted in vehicles to the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery by the officers 
and several members of the Sacramento Pioneers, headed by Mayor Comstock. The company 
was received at the door by officers of the California Museum Association, assisted by several 
of the members of the Ladies' Museum Association. The guests first registered, and then 
visited the picture galleries, the School of Design, and the State mineral cabinet. The char- 



JT SACRAME.YTO. 91 

acter of the institution was explained, and the ownership by the cit}', and management by the 
Museum Association, in all which we manifested a deep interest, asking many questions. We 
were escorted about the building, and considerately attended by Mayor Comstock, and by 
President Lawson and Messrs. McGuire, Leonard, Sheppard, and otiiers of the Pioneers, and 
by the President of the Museum Association, Custodian Cushman, Director Grunsky, Mrs. 
Campbell, and Instructor Jackson, of the Association, and by Mrs. Jordan, president, and Mrs. 
Bonnheim, treasurer, and Mrs. Grunsky, of the Ladies' Museum Association. We spent two 
hours in the building, and even then were loth to retire, and most of us announced our inten- 
tion to return, and view the art and mineral treasures and curiosities more leisurely. 

A few went to the Sacramento Fair, where there was a running race. Before she started, 
one lady picked out the horse she said she would bet on, which won two out of three races. 

Some of the party seemed young again among the old familiar hills, S. W. Foster going so 
iar as to extemporize a -^oem of which I give a stanza : — 

" Let 's go to Auburn ! " some one said ; 
They did, and painted the old place red. 
They found old claims that once they knew, 
And old friends, too, who took them through. 

The following telegrams, received Saturday, April 26, explain themselves: — 

San Bernardino, Cal, April 26, 1S90. 

To Captain IV. H. Tlioiues, President, and Hon. B. F. Whittemore, Seortary jX. E. S. C. P., 
care of Governor IVatennan, Sacramento. 

May you find the diggings to-day at the State capital better than you did forty years ago. 

John Brown, Jr., Secretary San Bernardino Pioneers. 

Sacramento, Cal., April 26, 1890. 
John Brown., Jr., Secretary San Bernardino Pioneers. 
Thanks. We can never forget you and your people. 

W. H. Thomes. 

B. F. Whittemore. 

We learned afterwards that on Saturday, by formal vote at San Bernardino, Mr. Whitte- 
more's song was selected to be sung at the opening of all their meetings. That day many of 
us accepted the invitation of the Odd Fellows to attend their picnic, some twenty-five miles 
from the city, near Folsom, where the State Prison is located. Here we were given a ride to 
the prison, where we were shown through by the obliging warden, who handed me a large 
bouquet for Mrs. Ball. From a hill near by we looked down upon 700 convicts at work build- 
ing a dam, a strongly armed guard keeping watch. 

I never before saw so many teams in one place as at this picnic. I asked where they all 
came from, and was told that people started at daylight, and came from towns many miles 
■distant, in all directions. 

The Odd Fellows gave us a splendid picnic dinner, and took us across the American River, 
where is some of the prettiest and most level land I ever saw. 

From Folsom we returned by train, and I strolled aljout the city, which was headquarters 
ior so many of us in the days of placer mining. At that time I stopped at the Antarctic Hotel, 



92 piojYeers of '49. 

kept by Benjamin Pendleton, of Stonington, Conn. It stood on the same street, and was 
within two blocks of the Golden Eagle. 

That evening we were received officially at the Capitol. 

Secretary of State W. C. Hendricks called to order, and made a brief address of welcome,, 
followed by Governor R. W. Waterman, in a short speech of similar tenor. President 
Thomes thanked them, and through them the people of California, for the magniticent recep- 
tions everywhere given, and assured them we would never forget their hospitalitv. He gave 
many interesting reminiscences, and concluded with an eloquent eulogy of California and 
everything Californian. 

Mayor Comstock gave a characteristically brief but warm-hearted welcome, and hoped we 
were having a good time. Reply was unnecessary. 

President P. S. Lavvson, of the Sacrnmento Pioneers, spoke at length of the progress the- 
State had made since the days of pioneering, and assured us that we were of those who 
laid the foundation of all this prosperity. 

Secretary Whittemore gave a short description of our party, showing how deeply many of 
us were interested in the history of the State. 

Governor Robert W. Waterman was born in Fairfield, Herkimer county, N. Y., in 1826, but 
when very young was taken by his parents to Illinois, where he remained until 1850, when he 
crossed the plains for California gold. He soon returned, and in 1856 a convention of the 
" Anti-Nebraska Party," which met at Bloomington May 29, appointed him a delegate to the 
first Republican convention held in the State, which nominated a full ticket of presidential 
electors, with Abraham Lincoln at their head. In 1S73 he returned to California, and pur- 
chased a ranch near San Bernardino. Not prospering, he prospected in the Mojave Desert,, 
and, after a weary search, located a silver-bearing ledge. In this and other mines he amassed 
a fortune, which he has invested in lands, chiefly in San Bernardino and San Diego counties, 
and in enterprises calculated to develop Southern California. He was elected lieutenant-gov- 
ernor in 1886, and became governor by the death of Washington Bartlett, Oct. 12, 1887. 

Personally, he is a very genial man, simple in manners, easily approached, and with a kind 
word for all. He is generous to a fault, and on account of his sympathetic nature has become- 
noted for granting more pardons than any predecessor. He married Jane Gardner, of Belvi- 
dere, 111., in 1S47. Of seven children, three sons and four daughters, all but the eldest son are- 
living. 

(Since the above was written, ex-Governor Waterman died of pneumonia, after a brief 
illness, at San Diego, Sunday evening, April 12, 1S91.J 

We were about to leave, when, noticing a great many people in the lobb}', we asked what it 
meant, and were told that Senator Leland Stanford had stopped on his way to Washington 
with his wife. He lived here when governor, and still keeps the place up, although now 
residing at Palo Alto. He had sent me from Washington a letter of introduction to Mr.. 
Lathrop, — his brother-in-law, in charge of the university grounds at Palo Alto, — through 
Senator N. T. Dixon, of Rhode Island, and I was glad of an opportunity to thank him 
personally for his courtesy. It is said that there were 10,000 people at the two receptions 
given that night at the Capitol. 

The ne.xt day was Sunday; but, as it was the only opportunity for visiting Rattlesnake Bar, 
where I dug for gold nearly a year and a half, I purchased tickets for Newcastle, on the 
Union Pacific Railroad, and telegraphed for a team to be ready to take us to the bar, some 
six miles distant. Mr. A. G. Abbott, proprietor of the Fashion Stable, Newcastle, was on 
hand with a fine team, and gave us a C]uality of service and a quantity of personal attentioa 



RATTLESXAKE BAB. 



93 



that greatly enhanced our already favorable opinion of California courtesy. We rode over 
the new iron bridge across the American River; but I was puzzled to find the old claim, until 
a resident '49er told me it had been half filled. Only one thing looked natural, — a rock in 
the river near the bar, from which I shot many an otter in 1S50 and 1S51. 



46 /'T 'N ^m^^-^^-^i 










A MINING SCENE — 1S45. 

As the methods of mining, especially in the placer districts, are so well known, I will onlv 
give extracts from my old journal, slx)wing average results, and add two or three letters and 
a story needing no comment. 

No. Fork American River, Rattle.snake Bar, Cai,., > 

Monday, August 19, 1850. I 
Came down on the Bar and formed a company of seven to work on the sand bank. Two 
went to Sacramento to buy oxen and a scraper. While they were gone we made $120. They 
returned Thursday afternoon, and all worked Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and 
Wednesday scraping off sand, digging up roots and bushes, heaping up stones to be thrown 
into the holes from which dirt is taken to the river to be washed. Having cleared our lead by 
Thursday noon, we work as follows : — 

Thursday, August 29, washed out $131.00 or $18.71 apiece. 

Friday, " 30, " " 260.50 

Saturday, " 31, " " 221.00 

Total for three days 612.50 

First week in September 902.50 

Second " " " 2,083.75 

Third " " " 1,406.50 

Fourth " " " 1,105.00 



37.21 


31-57 


87.49 " 


128.92 " 


297.67 


200.92 " 


157-85 " 



94 



PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



Odd cents are carried forward for final division. We got well at work, with the following 
result for one week: — 

Mondav, October 7, we washed 360 pails of dirt, and got $163.00 or $23.28 each. 



Tuesda)-, 




8, 




i( 


280 






Wednesday 




9. 




U 


410 






Thursday, 




10, 




a 


420 






Friday, 




II, 




u 


530 ■ 






Saturda}', 




12, 




tc 


550 






For the wee 


k 






u 


2,550 







93.00 




13.28 " 


153.00 




21.85 " 


141.50 




20.21 " 


208.50 




2978 " 


269.50 




38.50 " 


1,028.50 




146.90 " 



Tuesday we worked only in the forenoon, and this, with one exception, was our lightest 
week's work. Later, in cold or rainy weatlier the weekly receipts fell as low as $200, on one 




rOST-OFFICE SCENE — 1S49. 

or two occasions, but were seldom less than $600. I remained until my original companions 
had all got enough to grow uneasy for home, or for claims where $10,000 nuggets abounded; 
and then, finding that the reputation of Rattlesnake Bar stood so high in the m.inds of the new 
shareholders that they were willing to stand by and see it work itself instead of exercising 
vigorously with pick, shovel, and rocker, I, too, sold out for $150, and started for Sacramento 
Tuesday, June 2, 1851. Years after, under hydraulic processes, our old abandoned claim was 
extended into the hill back of where our tent stood, and yielded enormous profits. 



BATTLESJ^AKE BAB. 95 

North Fork American River, Rattlesxake Bar, Cal., \ 

January 19, 185 1. y 

Brother Joseph : I believe I owe 30U a letter, and Sunday gives me a little leisure to 
pay the debt. Sunday is the only day in the diggings for writing letters, the other six being^ 
occupied in digging and washing out the gold. Sunday is the day for washing and mending 
clothes, fixing tools, writing letters, etc., etc. There are no more Sabbaths in the mines than 
at sea, where Jack's business is, as the verse has it : " Six days shalt thou labor and do all 
thou art able; on the seventh holystone the deck and scrape the chain cable." I will begin at 
the beginning of my mining experience and give you a brief account of my doings up to this 
time. On the 28th of May, in company with four others, — my old friend J. W. Dodge and 
three members of the Westerly and California Company, Nichols, Lamb, and Lamphere, — I 
set out from Sacramento City for the northern diggings, and first brought up at Georgetown, 
near the Middle Fork of the American River; worked some in the dry diggings at that place,, 
and prospected on the Middle Fork. 

We remained at Georgetown about a month; made from %-'^ to $10 a day, but not. 
satisfied with this, and finding almost every one else on the move, we followed the example,, 
and set out anew in search of better diggings. We purchased two mules, packed up our traps,, 
and spent some two months in traveling, prospecting, and digging before we came to permanent 
quarters at this place. On our travels we visited Spanish Bar on the Middle Fork, Kelly's 
Bar on the North Fork, passed through Illinois Town and Cold Spring to Bear River, thence 
on the Emigrant road to the South Yuba. A great part of our number visited the Sierra 
Nevada Mountains, found snow in some places forty feet deep, but no gold, or any indication 
of it. 

Not meeting in our northern travels with our anticipated success, we prepared to return to- 
the North Fork, with the intention of damming the river. We came out about fifty miles 
above this, or ninety from Sacramento City, at the junction of the North Fork. Here we 
clambered over hills of vast height and steepness. We had to descend some two and a half 
miles with our mules, where we were all the while in danger of casting away, and all going to 
the bottom together. We were near half a day beating down, for it was impossible to sail a 
direct course. At the junction we remained a few weeks, but found no encouragement for 
damming. The diggings yielded some $10 per day, but prices were so high that we concluded 
to "vamose," and, hearing flattering reports from Nevada City, we visited it. Here are 
Coyote diggings, where they sink holes from thirty to eighty feet perpendicularly, until they come 
to the bed granite, and then undermine in all directions, after the manner of the prairie wolf 
or coyote, which gives the name to this method of digging. Here many were doing well, 
taking out pounds per day, but a great majority making little or nothing. There was a scarcity 
of water, much sickness, and great danger of losing your labor, so we concluded to return agaia 
to the North Fork, lower down, giving up prospecting, and work for such pay as we could get. 
Our high anticipation and the great stories afloat had kept us prospecting until we were com- 
pletely sick of it, and ready to settle down, and be satisfied with small but steady gains. 

On our way down our three companions — Dodge, Lamb, and Lamphere — dropjjed off 
one after another near Kelly's Bar; but Nichols and myself kept on, till near the last of 
August we brought up at this place, when we fell in with Cottrell, Hitchcock, and Larkin, 
our companions around the Horn, who had just made a prospect beneath a deep bank of 
quicksand, and there discovered earth which paid about 75 cents per bucket. This quicksand 
is very difficult of removal by shoveling; for, when dry, it seeks its equilibrium, commences 
running, and is hardly satisfied with anything else than a water level. We therefore formed 



D6 FIO^'EEBS OF '49 

a company, took in two others, Pratt and Knight, who were working near by, and purchased 
oxen and scraper to remove the sand by an easier method, — a method we have followed ever 
since, which still leaves us jDlenty of shoveling of bottom sand and some layers of earth which 
do not contain sufficient gold to pay us for washing. In the course of our labors we have 
discovered that there is a line of gold running parallel with the river, some three or four rods 
from it and some twelve feet wide, where the gold is most abundant. From this line it 
diminishes both towards the river and from it; but diminishes so gradually that we have 
already worked a streak of several rods in width, and shall continue to work back as long as 
we shall make wages. 

The gold generally is distributed through the earth with such equality that two persons 
■washing the same number of buckets of earth will get just about the same quality of ore- 
The dirt pays better as you go down towards the bed granite. The granite is always scraped, 
and never fails to pay better than the earth above. 

In places about here, dirt that pays about 5 cents per bucket, if readily accessible, 
and convenient to water, will pay $5 per day for working. The dirt in our leads at first 
paid from 50 cents to $1.50 per bucket; it now pays from 15 to 50 cents. We have sometimes 
washed top dirt which pays but 6 or 8 cents per bucket, and have found buckets on the bed 
granite which have paid as many dollars, but not often nor many. Our best day's Avork was 
$80 per man, and we have averaged $50 per day for two weeks in succession. After working 
about six weeks, Pratt and Knight sold out for $250 per share, which, with their diggings in 
the bank, amounted to about $1,500 each. About the last of October Hitchcock, Larkin, and 
Cottrell sold out for $75 each, after taking out $2,000, since when the company have shared 
$800. You express a w^ish that I may soon return with pockets full of shining dross. I cannot 
promise that my pockets will be full, for this gold is very slippery, as all the world knows, and 
very heavy. My pockets full would make me rich for life, according to my present idea of 
riches. We shall probably have work in the bank for some three or four months longer, when 
we shall be thrown again upon our resources. When I shall return home, will depend upon my 
health and success in finding a new lead. 

The prevailing diseases here are diarrhoea, rheumatism, and fever and ague, but my iron 
constitution has carried me thus far safely. I have not lost a day since we opened the sand 
bank. Yours truly, 

Nicholas I^all. 



No. Fork of the Americax River, Rattlesnake Bar, Cal., ) 

April 27, 1890. ) 

Mr. C. C. Ball, Block Island, R. I.— 

My Dear Son : Here we are at the old mining place in California. Oh, how different 
everything is since leaving here in 1851 ! The bar and hill back of it I should never have 
known on account of the change wrought in consequence of the hydraulic water-pressure 
mining in hill back of where our tent stood. I could only have known the place by a ravine 
which ran to the river below the bend, just above, and joining our Bar, and some rocks on the 
shore below the Bar. We expect to be at Sacramento City at 6.30 this evening, and go to 
San Francisco to-morrow morning. 

Yours respectfully, 

Nicholas Ball 



A M USER'S AD VENTURE. 97 

Sacramento, Cal., April 27, 1S90. 

My Dear Son: When I entered the cars for Auburn, my first mining-camp in 1849, I 
thought of how I went there forty-one years ago, walking beside a four-yoke ox-team in the 
rain; for, on that very day, November i, the rainy season commenced. The first day we only 
made twelve miles, and nine the next, on account of rain and mud. On the second niirht, 
in a tent which had at one end, to keep the rain off, a piece of cotton cloth held down by a 
stone, we found a negro cooking biscuits hard as a rock, boiling black coffee, — to be served 
without sugar, — and baking beans ; but we were delighted to share his dinner at seventy-five 
■cents apiece. We were eight days traveling the forty miles to Auburn. 

When we left the cars, I looked for the spot where I had pitched my tent, built a stone 
•chimney at one end, made a mattress of fir boughs, and thought myself well fixed for the win- 
ter. On the identical spot stood a nice, two-story house, with a fine garden, neatly fenced. I 
then looked around where not a building stood then, and saw churches, schoolhouses, fine 
brick buildings, and children in the wide streets. It was hard to realize that this was the 
place where I had dug for gold, and that the hills of red clay we thought good for nothing, 
were really the charming slopes now covered with grape vines, peach, apple, and pear trees, 
and other evidences of fertility. 1 stood and reflected upon the past, and thought of all the 
hardy men who had helped to build the place ; but, by diligent inquiry, I could not find one of 
all who wintered here in '49 and '50. I suppose most of them have gone to their lono- home, 
and that the others are widely scattered. It makes me feel sad as I think of the old days. 

Your affectionate father, 

Charles T. Stuaicke. 

Daniel A. Clark, who drove from Newcastle to visit his old camp on Horseshoe Bar 
about a mile below Rattlesnake Bar, North Fork of the American River, was surprised to see 
the rolling hills, formerly covered with wild oats, chaparral, and jemiselle or Black Jack oaks, 
now luxuriant with vineyards, orchards, and fields of grass and grain. He found a friend 
James Smyth, who kept a store at Secret Ravine in early days. When placer minino- failed 
Smyth bought a section of land, filled the mining holes, and set out an extensive orchard of 
many ii ids of trees, including the first orange tree of Placer county, still bearing, and the 
only fruitful Chinese date tree in California. 

Just across the river, at Milk Punch Bar, can still be seen traces of a peculiar adventure. 
In 1851 Mr. Clark, who, with his brother, did the first drifting in this locality, was opening 
a drift one day from a square hole some one had previously sunk on their claim, with one 
partner who did not dare to work in a drift. The hole was 15 feet deep, and 8x12 feet in 
size. From one corner he started a hole just large enough to swing a pick in, workino- on 
his knees. About eighteen inches in, he erected supports for safety; but gravel still dropped 
some, and the man above was told to keep sharp watch, and be ready to help if the bank 
began to cave. All at once the pick broke through and disappeared in a hole near the top of 
the drift. The man above was asked to examine the ground, but he could find no trace of the 
surface ever having been disturbed. Mr. Clark was enlarging the opening, to learn what kind 
•of a place it was, when he heard the cry : " Look out, Clark, she 's caving ! " With a bound he 
sprang head first through the hole, into he knew not what, and instantly all was the blackness 
of darkness. His head and hands stuck in the soft mud at the bottom of the hole, but his 
legs to the knees were held fast by the fallen mass behind. Although he thought his minino- 
days were over, he determined not to give up so long as life lasted; so, digging his legs clear, 
lie felt around to see what the chances were. He crawled along in the darkness, over slimy 



98 PIOJiEEBS OF '49. 

rocks and through muddy pools, bumping against rocks and earth, ascending and descending- 
by turns, with hardly room to squeeze through in places, for about twenty minutes, when a 
turn showed light ahead. He emerged in a clump of willows near the river, and found him- 
self covered with sticky red mud or " slum gullion," in miner language. Looking up the 
bank, he saw a crowd of excited miners taking turns in digging as for dear life. Walking 
quietly up behind them, he asked what they were doing. They recognized his features, but 
were so astonished that they crowded around, and asked where he came from, and how he 
got there, before they seemed entirely satisfied that he really was not under the pile of gravel. 
This drift may have been worked before Marshall's discovery, perhaps by Mexicans or 
Indians. 

In 1S49 a nugget weighing twenty-eight pounds avoirdupois was found at Sullivan's Creek, 
Tuolumne county, in 1853, one of 360 ounces, valued at $5,265, at Columbus, in the same 
county. In 1850 a nugget of 263 ounces was found in French Ravine, Sierra county, assayed 
at $4,893. November, 1854, the largest piece ever found in California, weighing 195 pounds 
troy, was discovered at Carson Hill, Calaveras county. Several others, weighing six or seven 
pounds each, were found near. 

In 1851 a nugget, largely quartz, found at French Ravine, yielded $8,oco, and another, in 
1855, $10,000. 

Aug. 4, 1858, on the west branch of Feather River, Ira A. Willard found a piece weighing- 
fifty-four pounds before melting, and forty-nine and a half after. 

A nugget of 1,596 ounces troy was found Aug. 18, i860, at the Monumental Quartz Mine, 
and sold to R. B. Woodward to exhibit at Woodward's Garden. He paid $21,636.52; but, 
when he melted it, it proved to be worth but $17,654.94. 

A Mr. Strain found a slab of gold quartz half a mile east of Columbia, Tuolumne county, 
which yielded $8,500. 

The "Welcome Nugget," of Ballarat, Australia, found June, 1858, weighed 184 pounds troy, 
and yielded $32,000. 

An eighty-four-pound nugget, worth $20,000, was found in 1842 in North Carolina, and 
the same year one of ninety-three pounds in Siberia. 

Sonora, Tuolumne county, yielded more nuggets than any other place in California. 

These were large nuggets in weight and value, and many smaller ones might be added ta 
the list ; biii they wefe not large in bnlk. A cubic foot of gold weighs over 1,200 pounds, and 
is worth about $300,000. The best estimates give rather less than $4,000,000,000 for the total 
value of all the gold now in the hands of men, as money, or in use in the arts, which would 
make a cube less than twenty-five feet long, and would not fill the large parlor of the Audi- 
torium, The Raymond, or the Hotel del Coronado. Probably one third of all the gold ever 
mined is still available, which would give a block 25 x 25 x 75 feet in size as the total product 
of Ophir, Mexico, Peru, California, Australia, and mines of lesser fame. Indeed, even if we 
suppose the supply on hand to be but a twentieth of all ever obtained, it would be true that 
the entire amount of gold for which men have toiled and planned, dreamed and sinned, would 
fall far short of filling any of the hotels named. 

The exigencies of the rude life of the placer miners developed traits of character which 
have had a formative influence upon the social and business life of both Europe and America. 
Charles H. Shinn well says, in " Mining Camps : " — 

"There were times in almost every camp when the rowdy element came near ruling, and 
only the powerful and hereditary instincts of the Americans present, ever brought order out of 
chaos. In nearly every such crisis, there were men of the right stamp at hand, to say the 
brave word, or do the brave act; to appeal to the Saxon love of fair play; to seize the mur- 



MIJ^IXG CAMPS AS SCHOOLS. 99 

derer, or defy the mob. Side by side, in the same gulch, working in chiims of eight paces 
square, were, perhaps, fishermen from Cape Ann, loggers from the Penobscot, farmers from the 
Genesee valley, physicians from the prairies of Iowa, lawyers from Maryland and Louisiana, 
college graduates from Yale, Harvard, and the University of Virginia. From so variously 
mingled elements came that terribly exacting mining-camp society, which tested with pitiless 
and unerring tests each man's individual manhood, discovering his intrinsic worth or weakness 
with almost superhuman precision, until at last the ablest and best men became leaders. They 
fought their way to the surface through fierce oppositions, and with unblenching resolution 
suppressed crime, and built up homes in the region they had learned to love. 

"We walk the streets of San Francisco — leaders in business here, who once were citizens of 
a camp and swingers of picks in the beds of mountain torrents. We enter the political field, — 
giants of debate and caucus here, — whose first efforts to control their fellow-men were under 
the MarijDosa oaks, or beneath the dome of Shasta. We traverse the pastoral regions of the 
West, prairies dotted for miles with cattle, herds upon a thousand hills- — sun-browned patri- 
archal princes here, a hundred herdsmen at their command, five hundred horses in their 
manadas. . . . We visit the prosperous and beautiful colonies of Southern California, fair 
as a garden of the Lord, — realms of cherry and apple, olive and orange, grape and pome- 
granate, fig and guava, loquat and j^assiflora, fruits and flowers of two broad zones, mingled in 
rapturous profusion underneath azure skies, as of Capri and Sicily, — and here also, in the 
midst of colonists from all parts of the world, is some man of preeminent force and dignity of 
character, trained in the school of the early mines, transmuting by earth's subtle alchemy his 
golden nuggets of '49 to yet more golden apples of Hesperides, and planting golden-banded 
lilies of Osaka in the place of golden leaves from Proserpine's subterranean gardens. We 
may even seek the great cities, whither all currents flow, — New York, London, Paris, Berlin, 
St. Petersburg, — the marts of commerce, the counting-houses of Barings and Rothschilds, the 
courts of czar and emperor, the wonderful Broadways of many a metropolis, flowing like Ama- 
zonian rivers, day and night, without pause, and we shall find men, long trained in the lessons 
of the mining camps, walking as calm conquerors through the midst of this world of tumult, 
action, and desperate struggle, ruling railroad systems, laying ocean cables, planning for 
isthmus canals, aiding in a thousand enterprises that require energy, capital, knowledge of 
men, and prestige of former success, yet faithful in heart, cosmopolites though they are, to the 
memories of their young manhood, the companions of their Argonautic quest, the 'pards' of 
their pick and shovel days in Sierra or Rocky." 

The banks of the American River to-day present scenes far different from those of '49, 
althoug-h of, perhaps, greater interest. From about 160 acres of land at Oakland, Boston Flat, 
and Rattlesnake Bar, all adjacent camps, was taken over $5,000,000; but this was exceptional, 
and the average miner obtained money more slowly and more laboriously than the average 
cultivator of fruits in the same section to-day. 

When the yield of gold began to lessen, it was thought the end to California's prosperity 
had come ; but close on the heels of this came the discovery that the great valleys and lower 
hills were as good as gold mines if planted out to wheat. It is not necessary to tell of the 
extent of the grain fields, the marvelous richness of the soils, the ease of cultivation, and the 
rainless harvest seasons. These are familiar to all the world. But following in the train of 
this great agricultural success has come another and a greater marvel. Experiment here and 
there called attention to the fact that the same acre that returned ten dollars profit if sown in 
wheat, returned ten times the sum if set to vines or orchard trees. So new is this discovery 
that in many localities the wheat farmers have not yet accepted it as true. But each year has 
seen more careful study of conditions and possibilities, and the wider setting out of trees and 



100 pio:n'eers of '40. 

vines, until now it is safe to say that so universal is the recognition of its truth that many 
counties in California will, before many years, be but immense orchards of fruit and nut- 
bearing trees, and other counties be but vast raisin, table, and wine grape vineyards. It is 
a wholly true and unexaggerated statement that nowhere else in the world can be found the 
comi^leteness of conditions necessary to successful fruit-growing that California affords. 

Some six miles east of Loomis, not far from Newcastle, and close by our old mining claim 
on the American River, stands what is, perhaps, the largest cherry tree in the world. It was 
planted in 1856, on sandy soil, and close by an old mining shaft, sixty feet deep, which, how- 
ever, did not reach bed rock. The tree is sixty-two feet high, its branches cover an area of 
more than sixty feet square, and its trunk is so large that Mrs. Ball and I, standing on opposite 
sides and reaching around it, could just touch our fingers. In 1SS8 it bore 3,000 pounds of 
black Tartar cherries, which sold at forty cents per pound at the highest, the lowest price 
received being fifteen cents. The net receipts were not far from $600. The crop was 2,000 
pounds in 1S89, and 3,000 again in 1S90, and is unusually early ; hence the high price received. 

We were told that there are more than 20,000 orange trees in bearing within a space two 
miles square, ripening among the first in the State. The altitude here is 1,000 feet above the 
sea; but the absence of winter fogs and a soil free from acidity are said to be so advantageous 
that Newcastle oranges, peaches, and cherries have become famous for earliness, quality, and 
the firmness requisite for very long shipments. Mr. Robert Hector, who owns the big cherry 
tree, is largely interested in fruit culture, and gave us much valuable information. 

Meanwhile, at 2.00 P. m., Horace T. Graves and wife, John L. Hunt and wife, and Joseph 

Goodrich arrived at Sacramento as a delegation from the San F"rancisco Pioneers, in whose 

behalf Secretary Graves presented a magnificent illuminated address of welcome, printed in 

German text with gold-shaded letters, bound in Russia, and tied with white silk ribbon. The 

welcome was : — 

The Society of California Pioneers 

TO THE 

N. E. S. C. P. 
WELCOME! 

Pioneer Hall, San Francisco, April 25, 1890. 
William H. Thomes^ Esq., President N. E. S. C. P. — 

Dear Sir and Brother Pioneer: The Society of California Pioneers of San Fran- 
cisco, through action of its Board of Directors and by resolution of the society, duly 
adopted at a special meeting thereof held on the evening of April 24, 1890, desire to extend 
to you, and through you to the Brother Pioneers accompanying you, and to your ladies and 
friends, a most hearty welcome to our Golden State, the field of j-our early exploits, advent- 
ures, and toils ; and especially to San Francisco, the Bay City of our glorious Commonwealth, 
where the Argonauts who still survive have erected for themselves a comfortable home ; and 
not only do we welcome you to our city and State, but also to our " Home," the " freedom " of 
which is tendered to the members of your party at all times during your sojourn among us. 

With the sincere desire that you will avail yourselves of our proffered hospitality to the 
fullest extent, and with sentiments of sincere and fraternal regard, I am 

Yours very truly. 

Attest: H.T.Graves, Edward Kruse, 

[seal.] Secretary. President. 

Several short speeches were made in the parlor of the Golden Eagle, and then nearly all 
adjourned to Pioneer Hall, where the rest of the day was spent in banqueting and speech 
making. 



CALIFOEJnJ. AS A WHOLE. 101 



CHAPTER XIII 



CALIFORNIA AS A WHOLE, 

O California ! Thine the fame that thrills! 

The olive crown of peace and plenty thine, 
Fat of the meadows, vesture of the hills, 

Colossi of the wood, the burthened vine, 

The marts that teem with corn and oil and wine. 
Thy fairy-like romance is all a fact ! 

Lo ! the fair vision Art may not refine. 
O'er the far summit, by the tempest tracked. 
Out of high heaven leaps the aerial cataract ! 

— Chas. Warren Stoddard. 

WHAT is the secret of the undeniable, almost indescribable, fascination which is exercised 
by California upon every one who comes within the reach of her influence ? The perma- 
nent resident and the transient visitor alike are subject to that mysterious enchantment. Why 
is it that scarcely an individual who remains here for a twelvemonth can be persuaded to shake 
off the glamour which insensibly steals over him, and return to his old home.'' Why is it 
that no matter how strong may be the affection once felt for the home of childhood, all that 
sentiment, intensified tenfold, is transferred to this far western land, and that the feeling of 
loyalty to their adopted home outbalances all national or sectional feeling in the hearts of the 
people of this State, and makes them, above all else, Californians .? Here is gathered a more 
cosmopolitan population than can be found in any other part of the country. Every State in 
the Union; every province in British America; every one of the Central and South American 
countries ; every country in Europe and Asia, Africa, Australia, and the uttermost isles of 
the sea is represented. American and Englishman, German and Frenchman, Greek and Rus- 
sian, Spaniard and Portuguese, Italian and Austrian, Hungarian and Pole, Dane and Swede, 
Armenian and Slavonian, Alaskan and Mexican, Canadian and Brazilian, Chileno and Sonora- 
nian, Hawaiian and Samoan, Chinese and Japanese, Malay and Indian, Persian and Arabian, 
— white, black, red, and yellow, and all the intermingling shades, — all live here, side by side, 
and all are imbued with the same sentiment which makes them Californians, no matter from 
what source they have originally sprimg. 

For the person who has never had the good fortune to visit the Pacific coast, California has, 
too, a charm of a forceful, though perhaps indefinable, character. From the time the first 
Americans crossed the plains or sailed around the Horn, and returned with their marvelous 
tales of this sunny land, there has been a glamour cast over the very name of California, which 
has caused hundreds of thousands to look this way with longing eyes, and to regard a trip 
hither as the consummation of one of their warmest desires. The stories of the early explorers; 
the journals of Fremont and his contemporaries; the experience of the gold hunters, told in 
book, magazine, and newspaper, in prose and poetry ; the quaint records of the missions ; the 



102 PIO^''EERS OF '40. 

marvelous discoveries of scenery, the grandest the world knows; the genial climate, without a 
parallel elsewhere; the wonderful development of resource, shown in the fact that California 
is rapidly becoming the granary, the orchard, and the vineyard of the world — all these, and a 
hundred other reasons have given to the State an attractiveness that is felt the world over, 
and is well nigh irresistible to any one who has been so fortunate as to have been placed within 
its influence. 

If there is any part of the world which needs persistent study and investigation, in order to 
acquire perfect knowledge concerning all its salient features, that part is California. It is a 
region of contradictions. Two perfectly impartial travelers may come here, and faithfully 
report their experience. Yet one would never for a moment suspect that they were both writ- 
ing of the same country, — so entirely different in every detail would be their statements. 
Thus, one might write of California as a region of snow and ice. He might, with perfect 
truth, tell of railroads enclosed for miles with massive structures, which resemble tunnels dug 
through the snow. He might tell of two-story buildings, so completely hidden by snow that 
their very existence would not be apparent to the stranger. He could tell of snow-slides 
which have wiped towns out of existence, and by the side of which the avalanche of the Alps 
sinks into insignificance. He could, with truth, complain of railroad travel suspended for 
weeks, despite all the efforts of thousands of men, aided by the best machinery known to mod- 
ern ingenuity. He could, in fact, draw such a picture of Arctic California as would make 
even an Esquimau shudder. 

On the other hand, another traveler, writing upon the self-same day, could, with equal truth, 
tell of a journey, in which the utmost discomfort was suffered from heat and thirst. He could 
tell of traveling vast stretches, where the quivering heat actually sears the eyeballs; where the 
water supply becomes lower and lower, until exhausted; where one would give his right arm 
for but a single draught of the precious fluid, and where, failing it, more than one poor wretch 
has either lain down to die, or has had the nerve to place the muzzle of a pistol to his tortured 
brain, and pull the trigger that released him from misery. 

Or still another traveler might tell of hill and plain carpeted with the most lovely flowers that 
man ever saw; billows of gold and blue, pink and white, stretching in every direction. He 
mitrht t-ell of orano;e groves, their dark green foliage intermingled with the golden fruit — 
golden in a double sense ; the atmosphere heavy with the odor of blossoms, the drone of bees 
humming in his ears. He might, indeed, with truth, clnim to have found Tennyson's "Land 
of the Afternoon " realized in every detail. 

The attractions of California are of a varied character. Whether one touches the history, 
the climate, the scenerj', or the development by artificial means, he finds so much to admire 
and wonder at, that it requires a long period of investigation and familiarity before an adequate 
conception can be formed of their real immensity. The historical features of the State have 
been so fully dealt with by other writers, that little is left to be said. At the same time 
there are certain phases of this feature of the attractions that are of the highest interest, 
because quite generally neglected. What may be called the prehistoric history of the State 
affords rare opportunities for study — opportunities that are all too much neglected, and are, 
indeed, rapidly passing away. The rock inscriptions of the coast, the Sierra, and the desert 
should be transcribed, and, so far as possible, translated. That they were made with a definite 
purpose, and have a distinctive meaning, no one who has seen them can doubt. The cliff 
dwellings and mounds of the desert, and of the vast canon of the Colorado, are certainly 
worthy of investigation; while in the folk lore and traditions of the remnants of the Indian 
tribes which once peopled the coast by tens if not hundreds of thousands, there is a mine for 



TOPOGRAPHY OF CALIFORNIA. 103 

investigation of unsurpassed interest. The origin of those tribes themselves opens another 
broad field. Types can be selected from the Indian tribes, and from the Chinese residents of 
this coast, which, placed side by side, are so similar in every respect as to be startling. 
Notably is this so with the Indians of Southern California. Individuals can be found in those 
tribes who, except for peculiarities of dress and mode of wearing their hair, resemble in every 
feature the Chinese, while on the other hand Chinese are often seen who compare in every 
detail of feature with the Indians. Yet with all this racial resemblance, no more cordial and 
reciprocal hatred can be conceived than that which exists between the two peoples. 

The legendary accounts which the Indians have of the flood, of the origin of man, their faith 
in the omnipotence of a deity embodied in the grizzly bear, their treatment of the sick and the 
dead, afford a rich field, though one very difficult of being worked, since of all people in the 
world it is not easy to get into the full confidence of these aborigines. 

But it is not the purpose of the writer to describe the historical attractions of California, 
numerous and interesting though they may be. The climate, scenery, and notable physical 
characteristics of the State are sufficient subjects for discussion at this time, and a consideration 
of only the more salient features can be attempted. Anything like an exhaustive description 
is impossible. Many of the leading features are widely known, and, therefore, greater detail 
will be given to some which are not so well understood. The unbeaten paths will therefore 
be followed to some extent, and an effort made to show that there are many attractive 
features which are as yet familiar to but few tourists. 

The topography of California is of the most varied description imaginable, and comprises 
what may without exaggeration be called an unequaled aggregation of vast mountain ranges, 
lofty glacier-clad peaks, extensive valleys, boisterous mountain torrents, smoothly flowing 
rivers, land-locked bays, peaceful lakes, the most tremendous forest growth ever seen, and a 
coast line without a superior. For 800 miles from north to south along the Pacific Ocean 
sweeps this great commonwealth, while it is almost 200 miles from the sands of the seashore 
to the foot of the eastern slope of the Sierra, which marks the limit of the State in that 
direction. The sinuosities of the coast are such that California has almost 1,100 miles of shore 
line, while the vast territory of over a hundred million acres is comprised within its boundaries. 
Such an extent is so immense that some means of comparison must be furnished in order to 
secure an adequate conception thereof. If California were on the Atlantic coast, it would 
extend from the latitude of Cape Cod down the coast to Charleston, S. C, thus covering the 
shore line of the States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, 
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Inland it would reach 
across New Jersey and about half-way across Pennsylvania. With her 155,000 square miles 
of area, in which can be found every physical characteristic and variety of climate, California 
is an empire within herself, and in every respect may well challenge comparison with any 
equal area in the world. 

Two great mountain ranges traverse the State throughout its entire length. On the east is 
the Sierra Nevada, with the loftiest summits existent in the United States. On the west 
is the Coast range, divided into many spurs, with extensive intervening valleys, and with a 
general altitude far less than the Sierra. In the northern part of the State these two mountain 
ranges swing in toward each other until merged in one, and the same thing is repeated in the 
south. 

The Coast range is divided into numerous spurs under other names. Thus, the range that 
practically divides the fertile valleys of the South from the Mojave Desert is called variously 
the Sierra Madre and the San Bernardino ^fountains, and has almost a due east and west 



104 



PIO.YEEES OF '49. 



course, finally trending off southeasterly across the Colorado Desert. On the north of the 
Mojave Desert is the Tehachapi range, which, with the San Emigdio Mountains, forms the 
connecting link between the Sierra and the Coast range. Through Ventura and Santa Bar- 




,/?-//'- Co 




<•: 'J jUt (..-.■ ;.i ,^,. Vi Si.j.tu Roi^,. 



SCENES AT MOUNT SHASTA. 



bara counties runs the Santa Ynez spur, which is divided again into the Santa Lucia and 
Mount Diablo ranges in San Luis Obispo county. The first-named keeps well toward the 
ocean, and finally ceases when the Bay of Monterey is reached. The other continues up the 



RIVERS OF CALIFORJ^IA. 105 

east side of the Carisa plain, east of the Santa Clara valley, and so on northward, fixing the 
western limit of "the San Joaquin valley, until it terminates in the peak from which the name is 
derived, near San Francisco Bay. A spur from the Diablo range is the Gabilan, which forms 
the western boundary of the Santa Clara valley, and finally merges into the Santa Cruz Moun- 
tains, which continue northward until they gradually slope into the low hills upon which San 
Francisco is situated. Northward of the Bay of San Francisco the Coast range is found, 
more in a body, and the valleys are few and limited. 

Beyond the Coast range, and between it and the Sierra, lies the great interior valley, for it 
is practically one throughout its entire vast length from Tehachapi in the south to Shasta in 
the north. The upper portion is drained by the Sacramento River and its tributaries, flowing 
southward for 200 miles to the Bay of San Francisco, while the southern portion is the water- 
shed of the San Joaquin and its tributaries, flowing northward to the same destination. All 
the principal streams of both valleys have their rise in the Sierra Nevada, the eastern slope of 
the Coast range being but poorly provided with watercourses. 

Commencing at the upper end of the interior valley, the Sacramento River receives the 
Pit, Feather, Yuba, American, Cosumnes, Mokelumne, Calaveras, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, 
Merced, San Joaquin, Kings, Kaweah, White, and Kern Rivers. Besides there are innumer- 
able smaller streams all along the western slope of the Sierra, from Shasta to Tehachapi, 
whose waters are contributed to the same system. The beds of every one of these streams con- 
tain deposits of gold-bearing gravel; and the greater portion of the quartz mines, now operated, 
are located on their banks. Their sources in the mountains present some of the grandest 
scenery in the world, while their waters are utilized largely for both mining and agriculture. 

Along the eastern slope of the Coast range there is not a stream that can be designated 
by the name of river. In the Sacramento valley Clear Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Stony 
Creek, and other streams, are tributaries of the river, with numerous other smaller water 
courses. On the eastern side of the San Joaquin valley, however, there is scarcely a stream 
whose waters find their way, except in midwinter, to the river. All are lost in the sands soon 
after reaching the plains. 

The western slope of the Coast range, however, has quite a number of streams, some of 
which are of large size. The Klamath, in the northern part of the State, is a very large river, 
navigable at its mouth, as is the Smith River, still farther north. The Trinity River is an 
important stream, and so are the Mad, Eel, Elk, and Russian Rivers, which drain the entire 
coast from the Oregon line to San Francisco Bay. 

South of San Francisco are the San Lorenzo, Carmel, Salinas, Pajaro, Santa Maria, Santa 
Ynez, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, San Gabriel, Santa Ana, Santa Margarita, San Luis Rey, 
San Dieguito, and San Diego Rivers. Besides, a large number of smaller streams are either 
tributary to those mentioned, or flow directly into the ocean. Nearly every canon in the 
mountains, from the peninsula of San Francisco to San Diego, is provided with a stream of 
greater or less size, some of which attain the dignity of rivers during the i^ainy season. 

Some of the rivers which have been mentioned as rising in the Coast range possess very 
singular characteristics, which have given rise to the saying that in California many rivers are 
turned upside down — that is, the sandy bed is on the surface, and the water flows beneath. 
This is true, in fact, of nearly all the southern Coast range streams. The Salinas, for 
instance, resembles a bed of dry sand in the summer, yet there is a large body of water under- 
neath, and the apparently dry bed has a most startling habit in the summer of suddenly opening 
beneath the weight of a horse or team, and giving the rider or driver a most uncomfortable and. 
even dangerous experience. 



106 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

The Santa Ana, Santa Maria, San Gabriel, and Los Angeles Rivers have the same features. 
The first named is the most important stream of the far south, and furnishes an immense 
amount of water for irrigation. It rises far up in the San Bernardino range, on the very crest 
of the ridge that divides the Mojave Desert from the fertile southern valleys. Even before it 
leaves its mountain caiion it is tapped by the irrigators, and thence almost to its mouth there 
is a perfect network of canals deriving their supply from it. More than once the entire appar- 
ent flow is diverted into some canal, but a few miles farther down the water rises again to the 
surface, and supplies still other irrigation systems. There is not, probably, another stream in 
the world whose waters possess so large an intrinsic value as this. Water rights from it have 
increased immensely in value, and are sold for as high as $i,ooo and $1,200 an inch, and even 
more. Tens of thousands of acres of land are irrigated from it. The greater portion of the 
finest orange orchards in Southern California owe their existence to the Santa Ana River; and, 
while it is so insignificant a stream that in more than one place an active man may jump across 
it at a bound, nevertheless it has added tens of millions to the wealth of the communities 
which it serves, and each year is the cause of millions of dollars being distributed among the 
residents alons: its banks. The Santa Ana River is one of the best instances known of the 
extent to which a moderate supply of water may be utilized in the reclamation of desert lands. 
By the evolution of economical methods this small stream has been made to supply a many 
fold larger area than numerous streams ten times its size are deemed capable of doing. It 
may be selected as the highest type of which irrigation development is capable, and is worthy 
of the closest study of those who are interested in any way in such matters. 

Two other rivers of considerable size are deserving of more than passing notice, because of 
the fact that, though carrying large bodies of water, none of it finds its way into a river run- 
ning toward the ocean. Rising on the northern slope of the San Bernardino range is the 
Mojave River, a never-failing stream of large size where it leaves the mountains. It runs a 
hundred miles or so, directly through the centre of the desert, but finally the absorptive char- 
acter of the soil proves too much, and the waters sink in the sand, forming what is so well 
known to the old teamsters by this route — the Sink of the Mojave. Some of the water of this 
river is used at the base of the mountains, and even out in the desert for irrigation, but the 
bulk of it is lost in the sands. 

Following the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada for a distance of seventy-five miles, through 
Inyo county, is Owens River, emptying into Owens Lake, a body of water without an outlet, 
and highly charged with minerals. This river is used largely for irrigation, the land along its 
banks being very productive when watered, but a desert otherwise. 

A notable feature of this part of the State is the locality known as Death valley. This 
region has been treated by various writers all over the southern part of the State, and has been 
the subject of a vast amount of romancing and misrepresentation'. It is really situated in the 
eastern part of Inyo county, near the Nevada line, and is the sink of a stream called the Amar- 
gosa River. It is nearly 400 feet below the sea level, and is one of fhe worst portions of the 
desert. At present a thorough exploration of it is going on, under the auspices of the United 
States Government, which will result in setting at rest many of the weird tales that have been 
told concerning it. 

The lakes of California are also a feature that is deserving of much more attention than is 
usually bestowed upon them. Beginning at the far north is Klamath Lake, situated jjartly in 
Oregon and partly in California. In the same region, in Modoc county, are Goose, Clear, 
Rhett, Upper, and a number of smaller lakes, all fine bodies of water, and the sources of 
important streams. Following down the Sierra into Lassen county are Eagle and Honey 



LAKES AJ^D ISLAXDS. 107 

Lakes ; then in Nevada county are Independence and Weber, Donner, and, last and finest of 
all, Tahoe, through the centre of which runs the boundary line between Nevada and California. 
This lake is, with possibly one exception, the finest in the State. 

Still farther south, along the Sierra, are the Blue Lakes and the Eureka Lakes, clusters of 
small bodies of water. In Mono county is Mono Lake, and, farther south, Owen's Lake ; 
both bodies being highly charged with alkali, and possessing many novel and interesting 
features. 

Crossing over into the San Joaquin valley is Tulare Lake, with Kern and Buena Vista 
Lakes farther south. In the mountains, to the far south, is Elizabeth Lake, another alkaline 
deposit; while in the mountains of Santa Barbara county is Zaca Lake, a very peculiar body 
of water in many respects. 

North of San Francisco is Clear Lake, the scenery about which rivals that of the most 
famous portions of Europe, and has led the surrounding region to be christened the Switzer- 
land of America. 

The geological history of the vast interior valley of California has been a matter of much 
discussion. There is abundant evidence in support of the theory that at one time the entire 
valley, from Tehachapi to Shasta, was a vast lake, and that by some convulsion of nature the 
mountain barrier, through which passes the Golden Gate, was riven asunder, and the lake 
drained. Indian tradition, though unreliable at best, ascribes this origin to the valley, though 
there are abundant indications tnat such is the case. The fact that marine shells and the 
remains of sharks, whales, etc., are found far up on the summits of the Coast range and in 
places well up the sides of the Sierra, is indisputable evidence of the former presence of a 
great inland sea ; while along the foot-hills of the eastern side of the valley may be seen 
terraces and deposits of sand and gravel, in which are yet traceable the action of the waves 
in long ages past. 

Farther south, in that remarkable region, the Colorado Desert, the same phenomena are 
found. Away up on the mountain-sides are the unmistakable lines, showing that at some 
time this was rai ocean beach ; while whale bones, coral, shells, and other indications of 
marine life are r.bundant. The Indian tribes of that region even have a tradition of the time 
when this des'.rt waste was covered with water, and the people inhabited only the highest 
peaks. They also tell of a period when all the people in the world were drowned except a 
single couple, who took refuge on the topmost summit of the loftiest peak, and from whom 
all the nations of the earth have derived their existence. 

In no part of the world can the geologist find a better or more interesting field for investiga- 
tion than here. Unsolved problems and mysteries confront him on every hand, requiring a 
lifetime of study and investigation. 

The islands off the southern coast are another feature of interest which have received scant 
attention. Catalina, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, San Nicolas and Anacapa are all 
easily accessible from the mainland, and on all the archaeologist, the botanist, and thegeologist 
can find abundant food for investigation. The remains of mastodons, the relics of long- 
perished thousands of human beings, the peculiar vegetable growths, the strange rock forma- 
tions, and a thousand and one other points of interest may be seen on every hand. Other 
features, of far less intrinsic interest, have been exploited and given great notoriety ; but there 
is no part of California that warrants closer investigation and study than this. 

Take whatever feature of California scenery one will, and compare it with the best known 
and most famous types, either on this continent or elsewhere : Mountains — why, all the peaks 
of the whole Union sink into insignificance by the side of Whitney, with its three miles of 



108 PIOJ^EERS OF '40. 

elevation, surrounded, as it is, by a sisterhood of scarcely less prominence. From San Bernar- 
dino, on the south, to Shasta, on the north, the Sierras are series of bold outlines, precipitous 
descents, and lofty summits, whose superior in these combined details certainly does not exist. 

Where else in the world is such a sight as is presented by San Jacinto, with its nearly [i,ooo 
feet of precipitous cliff? No other mountain in the world shows so rapid and tremendous a 
descent as does the southeastern face of this peak. From an elevation of but a few feet 
above sea level one can gaze almost perpendicularly upward to the region of perpetual snow 
more than two miles above him, and, with that glittering witness of excessive height still in 
sight, one passes in a very short journey to a depression of several hundred feet below sea 
level. Not America alone, but the whole world, if the scientists are to be believed, cannot 
equal the grandeur of this scenery. 

Valleys — well, is there anywhere in all this broad earth a valley that will equal, not to say 
surpass, the great basin which stretches 500 miles or more from Tehachapi, on the south, to 
Shasta, on the north? If there be such another valley, with all its wealth of hill and mountain 
scenery on either hand, travelers have not yet related its discovery ; or that other valley, 
beginning: where the sun-kissed waters of the Pacific leave the shore southward from Point 
Duma, in Ventura county, and extending inland 100 miles to the westernmost limit of 
the Colorado Desert, with tall Cucamonga and San Antonio, and lofty San Bernardino and 
Grayback, standing like sentinels, grim and hoary, and the sharp, serrated outline of San 
Jacinto, marking the boundary of the desert; with its ceaseless flow of sparkling, life-giving 
fountains, and its vast area of orange orchard and vineyard stretching away for miles in every 
direction. 

Lakes, streams, and waterfalls — can the continent show more lovely gems than Donner 
and Tahoe and Independence and Weber; more awful scenes of desolation than Mono and 
Owens ; grander cataracts than those of the Yosemite ; more beautiful streams than those 
that thread the Sierra in every direction? 

Forests — are there more majestic trees anywhere in the world than the sequoias of the 
Coast range and a portion of the Sierra? Where did the idolaters of old find grander 
natural temples than these ? Did the Druids ever set up their altars beneath such a shade as 
that given by the majestic live oaks of the California hills and valleys ? Was ever a more 
graceful or a more pureh' tropical growth seen than the groves of giant palms, laden with 
immense clusters of purple fruit, in the valleys that border the Colorado Desert? Where is- 
the equal of the madrone, the bay, the laurel, the manzanita of the California mountains and 
foothills ? Where is there anything that will compare with the cactus, the yucca, and the 
other peculiar growths of the desert? 

Seashore — are there finer or more picturesque bays known to the navigator than those of 
San Francisco and San Diego? Is there a beach more beautiful than that of Santa Cruz or 
Monterey, Santa Barbara or Santa Monica, Oceanside or Coronado? Have the islands, the 
rocky cliffs, the bold headlands, the ever varying, never wearying panorama of the 1,000 
miles of coast line belonging to California their superior in all this broad world? 

Whether it be peaceful valley or rugged mountain, vast glacier or gushing artesiarufountain, 
immense snow field or lovely strand, blue sky or purple sunset, desert desolation or the 
highest types of man's skill as a husbandman, all these in their perfection exist in the Golden 
State. What State so seldom sends out an emigrant! What State is more worthy of all 
love and admiration bestowed upon it? 

Not, it is true, the California that men have made it, — in all respects. There is all too 
much to cause the Californian, who has the best good of his home at heart, to blush ; but the 



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WIJfTER OJ^ THE SIERRA. 109 

California that God made, and upon whicli He has left the impress of His hand in such 
unmistakable fashion, — the California cf untrodden forest and unmeasured mountain, of 
valleys filled with happy natives and unfrightened game, of other valleys where the water has 
made fruitful gardens from a desert, of beautiful cities and lovely homes ; not the California 
of the desperado and the land grabber, of the destroyed forest and the ruined stream, and 
all the unlovely insignia of man's greed and carelessness for the welfare of others, but the 
California of nature untrammeled, as well as nature controlled and developed by the skillful 
hand and artistic sense of intelligent man. 

Let the tourist leave his Eastern home after the winter season shall have commenced. 
Journeying westward, the same climatic exigencies common to all the country east of the 
Sierra are encountered. Icy winds sweep the plains, snow lies to a depth of many feet upon 
the face of the earth, the windows of the cars are coated with frost, and hot fires and loads of 
blankets are necessary for even ordinary comfort. As the boundary line of California is 
crossed, the cold becomes more intense, the snows are deeper, and a veritable Arctic climate 
seems to have been encountered. 

Half a dozen locomotives become necessary to move the train, and they puf¥ and groan and 
give vent to many an ear-piercing shriek as they slowly and wearily climb the steep grade. 
The snow is so deep that the outlook from the window is entirely cut off, the white walls 
rising perpendicularly on either hand far above even the car roofs. 

Here may be seen the most ponderous machinery ever devised for clearing the snow from 
the tracks. Immense ploughs of different patterns, propelled by a dozen or fifteen locomotives 
each, are kept busy fighting the snow, which lies twenty feet, thirty feet, or even deeper, on 
the level, and which is drifted by the gale in perfect avalanches. For miles and miles the 
track is protected by snowsheds, whose massive timbers groan and strain with the weight 
imposed upon them. 

Here are armies of men, their faces blackened with soot to prevent blindness, and their feet 
swathed in rolls of gunny sacking, shoveling as if their lives depended upon it, and yet unable 
to keep more than a few feet of the road passable. Step outside the car, and the cold is so 
intense that a stay of a couple of minutes in the open air is amply sufficient to cool the most 
ardent curiosity. If a thermometer be handy it will be found to mark lo, even 20, degrees 
below zero. The very air itself is filled with icy needles, and there is a penetrativeness in the 
chill atmosphere that the heaviest and warmest wrappings are unable to resist. 

A brief stop may be made at some station. One may perchance learn by consulting the guide 
book or an unusually obliging employe that there is a town of a couple of thousand inhabitants 
•close by. But where are the proofs of that fact visible to the inexperienced eye ? Little can 
be seen but a confused jumble of odd-shaped mounds of snow, from the centre of many of which 
columns of smoke ascend slowly into the frost-laden atmosphere. Everything is buried in the 
snow, from the shanty to the two-storied business block; and, though the traveler may have 
passed all his life in the Eastern States, he will be obliged to confess that he never really 
knew what snow was capable of doing or causing until he came to California. If disposed to 
be sarcastic, he will read from his guide book entertaining descriptions of outdoor mid-winter 
picnics, with orange trees laden with golden fruit, the air heavy with perfumes, the earth 
carpeted with blossoms, and then ask what sort of a semi-tropical climate this is anyhow. If 
the train should be snowed in for a day or two, his sarcasm will become bitterer and bitterer as 
the time passes slowly away, until the most ardent lover of this lovable State will be silenced. 

But revenge — sweet revenge — is in store for the silenced Californian. Shivering with the 
cold, the snow piled mountain high, the wind whistling a gale, the skeptical and disgusted 



110 FIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

traveler buries himself beneath a pile of blankets, and seeks relief from the disagreeable sights 
and sounds of midwinter in the Sierra. 

A few hours pass — half a dozen, perhaps. The train has been steadily pushing its way 
westward. The summit has been crossed. The extra engines that have been called in to 
assist the cars up the mountain have been dismissed. The puff and snort, the groan and 
whistle, have ceased. The gait has been accelerated, and the wheels roll rapidly over the 
rails with a monotonous " click-clack, click-clack" at each joint. 

The traveler finds his load of blankets becoming heavier and heavier; he tumbles and kicks 
about in his berth. That infernal porter must have a terrible hot fire going. Sleep becomes 
impossible; and, with many a yawn and much stretching of limb, the tourist dresses himself, 
and finally draws aside the curtain and peeps out to see how deep the snow is. 

But what is this? Is he dreaming? He rubs his eyes again, and takes another look from 
the window. Oh, there must be something wrong about it! It is not possible. Has he died 
and gone to paradise ? How can such a change have been accomplished ? He went to bed 
cold and shivering, with snow banks twenty feet deep, with the thermometer out of sight, 
below zero, and with the gale howling in his ears. He awakes to see — what? 

Nature in her most charming mood. Far as the eye can see, the swelling summits and 
slopes of the hills are carpeted with the loveliest green. Myriads of flowers deck the sward, 
while the foliage of tree and shrub sparkles in the morning sun like diamonds, as the rays 
catch the pendant drops of moisture. Here and there are orchards, white and pink and red, 
' with their burden of promise of an abundant fruitage ; the hillsides are green with the young 
foliage of the vine ; the dooryards are a mass of roses, pinks, and all manner of bloom. 

To obtain a better view, the bewildered tourist throws up the window. The balm}-, invigor- 
ating air pours in, laden with the perfume of millions of flowers. The scent of the earth is in 
the atmosphere, the pulse quickens, and there is an irresistible desire to fling one's self froni 
the car, and roll down yonder grassy slope, decked with flowers of brightest hue. 

Just then the door opens, and a brakeman sings out " Newcastle ! " The traveler takes 
advantage of the stoppage to go outside, and glance about him. Down in the hollow yonder 
is a sight which attracts his notice. There are several acres of graceful, dark-foliaged trees,, 
which are a blaze of gold as the sun strikes them. "What under the sun are those?" he 
asks. And a bystander, following the direction of the glance, responds : " Huh, them 's 
oranges. Lots o' them around here." And sure enough, so they are. Was ever a prettier 
sight than a mature orange grove, laden with the golden fruitage? Certainly the traveler 
thinks not, for he looks at nothing else until the train swings around a curve, and the grove 
is lost to view, though others follow in quick succession, intermingled with all manner of 
other growth which testifies to the kindly character of the climate. 

And this is the first introduction of hundreds to California. To sleep at night in the most 
Arctic sort of a winter that can be imagined, and awake in the early morning amid scenes 
which the Garden of Eden could scarcely have surpassed ; the depth of an Arctic winter at 
nightfall, and the midst of a semi-tropic spring at early dawn. 

Is it any wonder that this transition scene remains as the most wonderful of all the wonder- 
ful events that are crowded into the experience of the tourist who has the good sense to visit 
California at the proper season — during the winter months? 

But to what wonderful feature of climate is due this sudden change — this complete trans- 
formation — whose working requires but three or four hours? Naturally, one who is not 
posted would fancy that many miles — hundreds, perhaps — must have been traversed in order 
to cross the line that separates two such extremes. Not so, however. So far as distance is 



CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA. Ill 

concerned, as the crow flies, it is but a few miles from the oranges of Newcastle and Auburn 
to the snowbanks of Emigrant Gap and Truckee. But as between the altitude of the one and 
that of the other, there is a difference of several thousand feet. Truckee, just over the summit 
of the Sierra Nevada Range, is 5,819 feet above the sea level, and at Summit the altitude is 
over 7,000 feet, fully a mile and a third. At Newcastle, however, the elevation is but 956 feet. 
It is only seventy-four miles from Newcastle to Summit, yet in that distance an elevation of 
about a thousand feet more than a mile is mounted. It is less than half that distance, how- 
ever, from Newcastle to the snow line. Indeed, an hour's time is sufficient to pass from the 
snowdrifts and ice to the orange groves and flower beds. The difference of a few hundred 
feet accomplishes for the climate of California what it requires hundreds of miles in latitude 
to do at the East. 

To find a climate on the Atlantic seaboard that corresponds to that of Truckee and the 
summit of the Sierra, one would have to go far northward into Canada, while for a parallel to 
the Newcastle climate it would be necessary to go south at least as far as Florida. 

It must not be supposed that these sudden climatic changes are peculiar to this portion of 
the State alone. They have a parallel both in the far north and in the extreme south, as, 
witness the transition experienced by our party in passing from the Mojave desert to the 
gardens of San Bernardino. 

Charles Dudley Warner, in Harper's Magazine, writes thus of the State and its climate : — 

" California is the land of the pine and the palm. The tree of the Sierra, native, vigorous, 
gigantic, and the tree of the desert, exotic, supple, poetic, both flourish within the nine degrees 
of latitude. These two, the widely separated lovers of Heine's song, symbolize the capacities 
of the State; and, although the sugar pine is indigenous, and the date palm, which will never 
be more than an ornament in this hospitable soil, was planted by the Franciscan fathers, who 
established a chain of missions from San Diego to Monterey over a century ago, they should 
both be the distinction of one commonwealth, which, in its 700 miles of indented sea-coast, 
can boast the climates of all countries and the products of all zones. 

" If this State of mountains and valleys were divided by an east and west line, following the 
general course of the Sierra Madre range, and cutting off the eight lower counties, I suppose 
there would be conceit enough in either section to maintain that it only is the paradise of the 
earth ; but both are necessary to make the unique and contradictory California which fasci- 
nates and bewilders the traveler. He is told that the inhabitants of San Francisco go away 
from the draught of the Golden Gate in summer to get warm, and yet the earliest luscious 
cherries and apricots which he finds in the far south market of San Diego come from the 
northern Santa Clara valley. The truth would seem to be that, in an hour's ride in any part 
of the State, one can change his climate totally at any time of the year, and this not merely by 
changing his elevation, but by getting in or out of the range of the sea or the desert currents 
of air which follow the valleys. 

" To recommend to any one a winter climate is far from the writer's thought. No two persons 
agree on what is desirable for a winter residence, and the inclination of the same person varies 
with his state of health. I can only attempt to give some idea of what is called the winter 
months in Southern California, to which my observations mainly apply. The individual v?ho 
comes here under the mistaken notion that climate ever does anything more than give nature 
a better chance, may speedily or more tardily need the service of an undertaker; and the 
invalid whose powers are responsive to kindly influences may live so long, being unable to get 
away, that life will be a burden to him. The person in ordinary health will find very little that 
is hostile to the orderly organic processes. In order to appreciate the winter climate of 



112 PIOXEERS OF '40. 

Southern California one should stay here the year through and select the days that suit his 
ideas of winter from any of the months. From the fact that the greatest humidity is in the 
summer and the least in the winter months, he may wear an overcoat in July in a tempera- 
ture, according to the thermometer, which in January would render the overcoat unnecessary. 
It is dampness that causes both cold and heat to be most felt. The lowest temperatures in 
Southern California, generally, are caused only by the extreme dryness of the air. In the 
long nights of December and January there is a more rapid and longer continued radiation of 
heat. It must be a dry and clear night that will send the temperature down to thirty-four 
degrees. But the effect of the sun upon the air is instantaneous, and the cold morning is 
followed at once by a warm forenoon. The difference between the average heat of July and 
the average cold of January, measured by the thermometer, is not great in the valleys, foot- 
hills, and on the coast. 

" In considering the matter of temperature, the rule for vegetation and for invalids will not be 
the same. A spot in which delicate flowers in Southern California bloom the year round may 
"be too cool for many invalids. It must not be forgotten that the general temperature here is 
lower than that to which most Eastern people are accustomed. They are used to living all 
winter in overheated houses, and to protracted heated terms, rendered worse by humidity in 
the summer. The dry, low temperature of the California winter, notwithstanding its perpetual 
sunshine, may seem, therefore, wanting to them in direct warmth. It may take a year or two 
to acclimate them to this more equable and more refreshing temperature. 

" Neither on the coast nor in the foothills will the invalid find the climate of the Riviera, or of 
Tangier — not the tramontana wind of the former, nor the absolutely genial but somewhat 
■enervating climate of the latter. Ikit it must be borne in mind that in this, our Mediterranean, 
the seeker for health and pleasure can lind almost any climate, except the very cold, or the 
very hot, down to the minutest subdivision. He may try the dry, marine climate of the coast, 
•or the temperature of the fruit lands and gardens from San Bernardino to Los Angeles, or he 
may climb to any altitude that suits him in the Sierra Madre, or San Jacinto ranges. The 
difference may be all-important to him between a valley and a mesa which is not loo feet 
higher; nay, between a valley and the slope of a foothill, with a shifting of not more 
than fifty feet, the change may be as marked for him as it is for the most sensitive young 
fruit tree. It is undeniable, notwithstanding these encouraging 'averages,' that cold 
snaps, though rare, do come occasionally, just as in summer there will occur one or 
two or three continued days of intense heat. And in the summer in some localities — it hap- 
pened in June, 1890, in the Santiago hills in Orange county — the desert sirocco blowing over 
the Colorado furnace makes life just about unendurable for days at a time. Yet with this dry 
heat sunstroke is never experienced, and the diseases of the bowels usually accompanying hot 
weather elsewhere, are unknown. The experienced traveler who encounters unpleasant 
weather, heat that he does not expect, cold that he did not provide for, or dust that deprives him 
■of his last atom of good humor, and is told that it is ' exceptional,' knows exactly what that 
word means. He is familiar with the 'exceptional' the world over, and he feels a sort of 
compassion for the inhabitants who have not yet learned the adage, ' Good wine needs no 
bush.' Even those who have bought more land than they can pay for, can afford to tell the 
truth. 

" The rainy season in Southern California, which may open with a shower or two in October, 
but does not set in till late in November, or till December, and is over in April, is not at all 
a period of cloudy weather, or continuous rainfall. On the contrary, bright, warm days and 
brilliant sunshine are the rule. The rain is most likely to fall in the night. There may be a 



WIKTER IX THE VALLEYS. 113 

day of rain, or several days that are overcast with distributed rain, but the showers are soon 
over, and the sky clears. Yet winters vary greatly in this respect, the rainfall being much 
greater in some than in others. In 1890 there was rain beyond the average, and even on the 
equable beach of Coronado there were some weeks of weather that from the California point 
of view were very unpleasant. It was unpleasant by local comparison, but it was not damp 
and chilly like a protracted period of falling weather on the Atlantic. 



"It is probably impossible to give an Eastern man a just idea of the winter of Southern 
California. Accustomed to extremes, he may expect too much. He wants a violent change. 
If he quits the snow, the slush, the leaden skies, the alternate sleet and cold rain of New 
England, he would like the tropical heat, the languor, the color, of Martinique. He will not 
iind them here. He comes instead into a strictly temperate region, and even when he arrives 
his eyes deceive him. He sees the orange ripening in its dark foliage, the long lines of the 
eucalyptus, the featherj- pepper tree, the magnolia, the English walnut, the black live-oak, 
the fan palm, in all the vigor of June ; everywhere beds of flowers of every hue and of every 
country blazing in the bright sunlight — the heliotrope, the geranium, the rare hothouse roses 
overrunning the hedges of cypress, and the scarlet passion-vine climbing to the rooftree of the 
cottages ; in the vineyard or the orchard the horticulturist is following the cultivator in his 
shirtsleeves ; he hears running water, the song of birds, the scent of flowers is in the air, and 
he cannot understand why he needs winter clothing, why he is always seeking the sun, why 
he wants a fire at night. It is a fraud, he says, all this visible display of summer, and of an 
almost tropical summer at that; it is really a cold country. It is incongruous that he should 
be looking at a date palm in his overcoat, and he is puzzled that a thermometrical heat that 
would enervate him elsewhere stimulates him here. 

" There are no sudden changes of season here. Spring comes gradually day by day, a per- 
ceptible hourly waking to life and color, and this glides into a summer which never ceases, 
but only becomes tired and fades into the repose of a short autumn, when the sere and brown 
and red and yellow hills and the purple mountains are waiting for the rain-clouds. This is 
according to the process of nature ; but wherever irrigation brings moisture to the fertile soil, 
the green and bloom are perpetual the year round, only the green is powdered with dust, and 
the cultivated flowers have their periods of exhaustion. 

" I should think it well worth while to watch the procession of nature here from late Novem- 
ber or December to April. It is a land of delicate and brilliant wild flowers, of blooming 
shrubs, strange in form and wonderful in color. Before the annual rains the land lies, in a 
sort of swoon, in a golden haze. The slopes and plains are bare, the hills yellow with ripe wild 
oats, or ashy-gray with sage; the sea-breeze is weak, the air grows drier, the sun hot, the 
shade cool. Then one day light clouds stream up from the southwest, and there is a gentle 
rain. When the sun comes out again its rays are milder, the land is refreshed and brightened, 
and almost immediately a greenish tinge appears on plain and hillside. At intervals the rain 
continues; daily, the landscape is greener in infinite variety of shades, which seem to sweep 
over the hills in waves of color. Upon this carpet of green, by February, nature begins to 
weave an embroidery of wild flowers, white, lavender, golden, pink, indigo, scarlet, changing 
day by day, and every day more brilliant, and spreading from patches into great fields, until 
dale and hill and tableland are overspread with a refinement and glory of color that would be 
the despair of the carpet-weavers of Daghestan." 



114 PIOjYEERS of '49. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SAN FRANCISCO. 

So many memories crowd upon my brain, so many ghosts are in the wooded plain, 

I fain would steal away with noiseless tread, as from a house where some one lieth dead. 

I cannot go ; I pause ; I hesitate ; my feet reluctant linger at the gate ; 

As one who struggles in a troubled dream to speak and cannot, to myself I seem. 

Vanish the dream ! Vanish the idle fears ! Vanish the rolling mists of fifty years ! 
Whatever time and space may intervene, I will not be a stranger in this scene. 

Here every doubt, all indecision, ends ; hail my companions, comrades, classmates, friends ! 

— Longfellow, 

AT 9.00 A. M. Monday, April 28, we left for San Francisco, over the direct line of the 
S. P. R. R. How much we enjoyed the ride down near the river I sailed up April 29, 
1850, almost forty years before to a day, in the brig General Cobb. At Benicia our train was 
run upon the largest ferry-boat in the world, the Solano, which crossed the Straits of Carquinez 
to Porta Costa. The Solano, launched July, 1879, is 424 feet long over all, and 406 feet at 
bottom (she has no keel). The sides at the centre are 18 feet 5 inches high, and 15 feet 
10 inches at the ends; the moulded beam is 64 feet, and the extreme width 116 feet; the 
guards are 25 feet 6 inches wide at the centre. The two engines are nominally 1,500 H. P., 
but are really 2,000 H. P. each. She is registered at 3,541.31 tons, and is a double-ender. 
She has four tracks on deck, and can carry forty-eight loaded freight cars, or twenty-four 
large passenger coaches. Our train was taken on one track. 

In all the voyages I made on this river in the old days, I had no idea the vast Napa valley 
would ever become an agricultural paradise, as it is now. How changed, too, were Benicia 
and Contra Costa, with noble wharves along the shores, near which we used to anchor when^ 
the tide was against us, and land for choalers or mussels, which were very abundant. We 
counted six four-masted ships, besides many ordinary ships, barks, and brigs, loading, we 
were told, with grain for Europe and Australia. 

Oakland, with a population of 50,000, is San Francisco's Brooklyn. We were sorry we 
could not stop one day. 

I select from the Examiner's account of our arrival : — 

" Yesterday the Palace Hotel was given over to gray-bearded gentlemen with bald heads. 
They arrived in the city about mid-day, and all wore blue silk badges trimmed with gold 
fringe, on which were printed in long figures ' '49,' and the words ' New England Society of 
California Pioneers.' When the special train, which brought them from Sacramento, arrived 
at Porta Costa, it was invaded by forty-nine other gray-bearded old gentlemen, who came to 
California in early days and stayed here, but who were awfully anxious to shake the hands of 
the 150 pioneers who came but didn't stay. 

" When they reached the Oakland mole a brass band and a couple of hundred more grizzled 
'49ers were sighted. The two phalanxes of pioneers made a wild rush at each other, and thea 



AERIVAL AT SAX FRAXCISCO. 



115 



they cheered. The band played ' Annie Laurie ' and ' The Days of '49,' and if the old boys 
could have had their way the band would be playing yet. 






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" As the band, with the procession of carriages behind it, proceeded along Market street to 
the Palace Hotel, many heads were thrust out of windows, and, while their owners' eyes took 



116 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

in the long row of business houses and the bustle going on around them, came the remark : 
' Great Scott ! And, to think, when I was here before you couldn't trade ten acres of these 
sand dunes for a mule and a chew of tobacco.' 

" One- old gentleman looked a little glum all the way to the hotel, but he brightened up 
before he had been there five minutes. He button-holed a local pioneer, and confided to him 
the cause of his changed mood. 

"'It's the only place I 've struck that seems like old times,' said he. 'They charge a 
quarter for drinks here ; although that's only half what it used to be.' 

" ' Let me see,' said William H. Thomes, president of the New Englanders ; ' it was on March 
4, 1843, that I first entered 'Frisco harbor, on the ship Adiiiiitaiice^ Captain Peterson. Only a 
few Digger Indians, Mexicans, and missionaries were here then ; so I made tracks, but came 
again in 1849 O'^ ^'^^ Edward Everett. I struck out up into El Dorado county and prospected. 
Made some pretty good strikes, too ; but, Lord bless you, we got rid of it faster than we dug 
it out in those days. I soon got tired, went home, and made my pile there; but I often come 
to California, and hope this won 't be my last trip.' 

" Stories of success and failure, of flush times and bedrock times, of misery, hardship, etc., 
flew thicker than flies around wet sugar.' " 

We were escorted to the Palace Hotel, where the Pioneers' flag of white, with a red border 
and the figures "49" in blue in the centre, was floated in honor of our arrival. 

After we arrived at the hotel, we were ushered into a parlor, where, after some prelimin- 
aries, W. B. Farwell, the ex-president of the Society of California Pioneers, formally 
welcomed us, extending to us the freedom of the Pioneer Building during our visit. Presi- 
dent Thomes responded briefly, and then the members of the local society withdrew. After 
lunch a number of our party visited the Pioneer Building, and there met many old acquaint- 
ances and friends. 

A. Caminetti, Secretary of the State Board of Trade, sent the following invitation: — 

To the New England California Pioneers' Excursion Party. — 

Ladies and Gentlemen.: The rooms and meeting-place of the California State Board of 
Trade, No. 605 Market street, are respectfully placed at your pleasure during your stay in 
this city. At our rooms you will find an exhibit of the products of the great State some of 
you helped to inaugurate. Yours respectfully, 

Jno. Q. Brown, General Manager. A. Caminetti, Secretary. 

The committee that met us at Oakland gave each a blue badge, bearing in letters of gold : — 

Society of California Pioneers to Society of California Pioneers of New England. 

1849-1S90. 
WELCOME. 

The Palace Hotel occupies the entire block upon the southwest corner of New Mont- 
gomery and Market streets. Rearing its huge fronts 120 feet in air, extending 275 feet 
westerly up Market and Jessie, and 350 southerly along New Montgomery and Annie, it 
stands probably the largest and finest hotel in the world, in the very business centre of the city. 

The general style of architecture, within and without, is almost severely simple. Amplitude, 
solidity, strength, and permanency reign in every part. 

Ninety-six thousand two hundred and fifty square feet, or nearly two and a quarter acres, 
underlie the stypendous structure itself, while the sub-sidewalk extensions increase the base- 




THE PALACE HOTEL. 



118 PIO^'EERS OF '49. 

ment area to upwards of three acres. Its general form is a triplicate quadrangle, including a 
crystal-roofed garden court, flanked by a lesser court on either side. Seven stories surmount 
the basement, and through a considerable portion it has eight. The lower story has a height 
of over twent5''-seven feet ; the uppermost sixteen. The foundation wall is twelve feet thick; 
stone, iron, brick, and marble are the chief materials. Of the brick alone, its construction 
consumed thirty-one millions. All outer and inner and partition walls, from base to top, are 
stone and brick built around, within and upon a skeleton of wrought-iron bands, bolted 
together, and of such immense size as to have required three thousand tons. The outer and 
visible walls are proof against fire; the inner and invisible frames secure against earthquake. 
The supporting columns, within and without, are iron ; the cornice of iron and zinc. Four 
artesian wells, having a tested capacity of 28,000 gallons an hour, supply the 630,000 gallon 
gallon reservoir under the central court, besides filling seven roof-tanks holding 130,000 gallons 
more. Three steam fire-pumps force water through large pipes reaching every part of the 
hotel. 

Five elevators ascend to the roof promenades. Electric fire-alarms instantly report at the 
office the exact locality of any fire, or even of extraordinary heat. A self-acting and self-regis- 
tering tell-tale indicator instantly reports at the ofiice any neglect or omission of watchmen. 
Besides all these precautions, a fire-proof iron staircase, inclosed in brick and stone, and 
opening through iron doors upon every floor, ascends from basement to roof. Two thousand 
and forty-two ventilating tubes, opening outward upon the roof from every room, bath-room, 
and closet, insure constant purity, and thorough sweetness of air in every part. The central 
court, 144 by 84 feet, has a carriage and promenade entrance, through the east front on New 
Montgomery Street, of forty-four feet width, expanding into a circular drive-way fifty-two feet 
in diameter, surrounded by a marble-tiled promenade, and a tropical garden, with choice 
statuary and artistic fountains. 

Off the central court open the main entrance to the hotel ofifice, 65 x 55 ; entrances to the 
breakfast-room, 110x55; the grand dining-room, 150x55; the music and ball-room, 65 x 55; 
the ladies' lower reception parlor, 40 x 40 : reading-room of the same size ; billiard-rooms, 
65 x 40 ; barber shop and bath-rooms, 40 x 40 ; committee-rooms and other general departments 
devoted to the pleasure or convenience of guests and patrons. 

On the second floor are private dining-rooms, children's dining-hall, and the ladies' drawing- 
room, 84x40. The total number of rooms, exclusively for guests, above the garden floor, is 
755. Most are twenty feet square — none less than 16x16. The rooms are expressly 
arranged for use, either singly or in suites of two or more. Every outer room has its bay 
window, while every parlor and guest-chamber has its own private toilet, ample clothes closet, 
and fire-grate. 

The list of employes includes 5 clerks, 7 cashiers, 30 bell boys, 9 porters, 13 elevator men, 
2 in cloak-room, 8 watchmen, 50 girls and 50 Chinamen as chambermaids, 40 cooks, 9 pastry 
cooks and assistants, 127 waiters, 7 in bar and billiard room, 28 in engine-room, 3 in wine- 
room, 4 in store-room, 16 girl dishwashers, 16 silver cleaners and pantrymen, 45 Chinese and 
5 white girls in laundry, — a total of 484. Its site in '49 was a sand bank, as it was out to the 
mission in the rear; now it is all built over. • 

The first caller was Captain John McKenzie, who sailed from Newport in the ship Aiidlcy 
Clark, and has not been East since 1849. He commands a ferry-boat, making five trips daily 
from Market street to Saucelito, and invited Captain F. Willis and wife, Mrs. Ball and myself 
to go around the bay with him and on the train, to where the redwood was cut I used to 
freight to Mission Creek from Reed Creek. On the way we had a good chance for compari- 




SCENES NEAR SAN FRANCISCO. 



120 PIOjYEERS of '49. 

sons. The city and Saucelito were new and strange in almost every particular; but the bay, 
islands, shores, and the Golden Gate were the same as ever. Saucelito, with its tree-shaded 
houses, reminds one of the villas on Lakes Como and Maggiore. The old Reed house was 
occupied in the fifties by William Reynolds, who corraled his large herds yearly for branding, 
but did not get half of them. Many a piece of fresh beef did he give me, in '52 and '53, for 
the crew of my vessel. All we could find of the house was the lower part of the stone 
chimney. The creek was there and the place where we lay to load, but no long piles of wood 
on the bank as of old. Captain McKenzie took us through the San Francisco fish markets, 
which do a business that surprised me, although I am accustomed to see large supplies of 
fish in New York. He gave me the following figures from the United States Fish Com- 
mission, as the number of tons of different varieties sold yearly: Salmon, 1,820; sturgeon, 
829; sea-bass, 720; codfish, 126; rockfish, 313; barracuda, 13; halibut, 61 ; perch, 76; smelt, 
284; tcmcod, 276; herring, 1,350; young codfish, 8; flounders, 63; soles, 94; catfish, 3; 
trout, 18; skate, 19; prawn, 11; shrimp, 100; smoked salmon, 70; salt salmon, 290; salt 
herring, 105; smoked herring, 1,200; smoked halibut, 6; suckers, chubs, and pike, 40; shad, 
600 pounds; a total of over 6,895 tons, or 13,790,600 pounds. Noticing that the lobsters- 
had no claws, I asked the reason, supposing they had been pulled off, but was told they 
grew so. 

From 1. 00 to 5.00 p. m., Tuesday, we were tendered a public reception at Pioneer Hall. 
Several thousand people were present, and there was hardly a young man in the throng. 

The interior of the building was handsomely decorated with flags and bunting, and the 
orchestra, stationed on the balcony during the afternoon, rendered such lively airs as were 
common in the pioneer days. 

Edward Kruse, president of the California Society of Pioneers, presided. He called the 
meeting to order, and made a brief introductory address of welcome. At his suggestion three 
hearty cheers were given for the visiting Pioneers. President Thomes then suggested three 
more cheers for the California association. 

Mayor E. B. Pond said : — " Fellow Pioneers : We greet with pleasure you who have come 
so far to view again the scenes of your early struggles in the golden West. We greet you as 
friends coming from afar, and, great as our country has become, we see how, with your 
presence during the intervening forty years, it might have become greater. Many of us have 
stayed here because we loved the country too much to leave it ; but we welcome you none the 
less heartily because you returned to your native sod. May you enjoy your visit to San 
Francisco, which, however greatly it may have changed since the days of '49, still possesses 
some landmarks by which you can remember those glorious times." 

Captain Thomes replied in a very happy speech, in which he recounted many incidents of 
his life in California from 1843 to 1850. '-When I look around this assemblage," said the 
speaker, " and see the great number of men who stood upon this very ground in '49, in red 
shirts and slouched hats, the change wrought by years seems like some freak of Aladdin's 
lamp. The landmarks in this city have nearly all disappeared; civilization with her tireless 
step has trodden out of sight almost every mark, and destroyed nearly every link that connects 
the present with the past. The foothills that we once trod have yielded up their treasure, but 
in returning we find something more precious than gold. We find strong hearts to welcome 
us, and the hearty handclasps of old comrades. You men who founded a great State deserve 
the homage of the world. Your work has filled our eyes with wonder. We have watched 
your progress with anxious eyes for many years, and will for many years to come. But for 
the firm reliance we placed in you when the Union was threatened, it would have been 



RECEPTION AT SAK FRAJfCISCO. 121 

destroyed. Your gold saved the Union. You have never had the credit you deserve, and if 
I was in Congress I would vote to cancel the railway debt and give you all you ask." 

Secretary Whittemore said : " We are overwhelmed in thinking of the immensity of the 
State, and what has occurred here during the last forty years. Everything has grown beyond 
our recollection. One of the ladies in our party wrote back to a friend in Boston about a 
caiion 250 miles high, and 500 miles long. Of course, she meant feet, but we find everything 
here on the mile scale. San Francisco is now less than five days from Boston, while in 1849' 
it required six months to make the journey. The New England Pioneers are linked to the 
destinies of the East, but our hearts and minds are with you for all time. We have been ten- 
dered a jDcrfect ovation in every town which we have visited since we arrived in your State, 
and I assure you we have been gathering nuggets of gold all the way." 

Secretary Whittemore made a pathetic reference to the late General Chapin, who died sud- 
denly two weeks ago at San Bernardino, the day on which the Pioneers arrived in the State. 
He re-echoed General Chapin's dying benediction: "God bless the people, and State of 
California." 

Following the addresses, the Pioneers, visitors, and residents proceeded to the banquet hall, 
arm in arm, and did full justice to the repast in waiting. With wine, music, and song the fes- 
tivities were continued for several hours. An invitation from Professor Ireland, inviting the 
visitors to call at the State Mining Bureau, and inspect the specimens of California minerals, 
was accepted for to-day. 

We were told that James Lick gave the Pioneers $250,000 to build this magnificent hall, and 
$150,000 for a library and cabinet. The furnishings are elegant, and the museum well filled. 

After showing us their rarest curiosities, they took down a box, carefully secured, which 
they opened. Inside was a bundle in heavy paper, which was unrolled, and then some tissue 
paper, disclosing what looked like a plain piece of granite, which they handed us with the 
remark that it was the gem of their collection. It bore the words, " From Plymouth Rock." 

The metropolis of the Pacific Coast is one of the most interesting cities in America. In 
some particulars, and notably in its street-car service, which consists largely of "cable roads,'* 
it is in advance of the older cities of the country. With one of the finest harbors on the 
globe, and occupying an important position in connection with the world's commerce, its 
shipping interests are of vast proportions. The growth of the city has been very rapid, 
especially since the opening of the Central Pacific Railroad, in 1869, and the present number 
of inhabitants is conceded to be over 300,000. The first house in the city was built no longer 
ago than 1837, if we except the old Mission Dolores, which was founded by the Franciscan 
friars in 1776. The greatest curiosity in San Francisco is the Chinese quarter, — a rectangular 
block seven squares in length by three and four in breadth. It is near the business centre 
and only a few blocks away from the palaces of the railway millionaires. The houses are 
nearly all tall, decayed buildings, swarming with tenants. The cellars are occupied as shops, 
factories, or opium dens. The main streets are lined by the stores of the large Chinese mer- 
chants. You find yourself in a populous corner of China. 

Among the buildings are the City Hall (still unfinished, although it has already cost 
$4,000, ooc); the branch United States Mint, corner of Fifth and Mission streets; the new 
edifice of the California Pioneers, on Fourth street near Market street; the Masonic Temple, 
corner of Post and Montgomery streets ; the Odd Fellows' Hall, corner of Seventh and 
Market streets; the San Francisco Stock Exchange, No. 327 Pine street; and the new Union 
Club Building, on Union square, corner of Stockton and Post streets. The California State 
Board of Trade has at its headquarters, No. 12 Second street, under the Grand Hotel, an 




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SAA' FRAKCISCO. 123 

interesting exhibit representing the resources of the different counties. Among the other 
public buildings and institutions are the large Mechanics' Pavilion, near the City Hall ; the 
Post office and Custom House, corner of Washington and Battery streets ; the old City Hall, 
corner of Kearney and Washington streets; the Merchants' Exchange, California street, 
between Montgomery and Sansome streets ; Young Men's Christian Association Rooms, 232 
Sutter street; San Francisco Art Association, 430 Pine street; California State Mining 
Bureau, in the Pioneers' Building; Free Library (40,000 volumes), in the City Hall Building; 
Mechanics' Institute (library of 35.000 volumes), 31 Post street; and the Academy of Sciences 
(library of 5,000 volumes), corner of California and Dupont streets. Golden Gate Park, a 
beautiful tract of 1,013 acres, reclaimed from the sand dunes, is about three and a half miles 
from the Palace Hotel. Several of the cable-car lines lead thereto. The beach. Cliff House, 
and Seal Rocks are about the same distance beyond the entrance to the park. 

Sutro Heights are near the Cliff House. The Presidio is a military reservation of 1.500 
acres. Telegraph Hill (elevation, 794 feet, and overlooking the city and the bay) is about half 
a mile from the Palace Hotel, at the opposite extremity of Montgomery street. The chief 
places of amusement are the following: Baldwin Theatre, Baldwin Hotel, Market street; 
Alcazar Theatre, 114 O'Farrell, near Stockton; Orpheum Opei^a House, 119 O'Farrell street, 
opposite the Alcazar ; Bush Street Theatre, south side of Bush, between Montgomery and 
Kearney; the new California Theatre (one of the handsomest playhouses in America), Bush, 
above Kearney; Grand Opera House, Mission, between Third and Fourth ; Standard Theatre, 
north side of Bush, between Montgomery and Kearney; Tivoli Opera House, Eddy, near 
Market; Woodward's Gardens, Mission, between Thirteenth and Fifteenth; Grand Chinese 
Theatre, 814 Washington street ; Panorama Buildings, corner Eddy and Mason streets, and 
corner Tenth and Market streets. 

The chief cable-car lines are on Market street, and on thoroughfares radiating therefrom ; 
viz.: Sutter, Geary, Powell, McAllister, Hayes, Haight, Valencia, and Castro streets. There 
are also lines on Howard, California, Clay, Jackson, Union, Larkin and Green streets. The 
"dummy " steam lines are the Market, Geary, California, Jackson, and Union streets exten- 
sions, and the Park and Ocean Road. There are. in addition, nearly a score of lines of horse 
railwa) s running within the city. The remarkable drill of the Fire Patrol may be witnessed 
daily at 12.00 M., at the headquarters in Jessie street, near the Palace Hotel. Captain Russell 
White, an old Boston fireman, is at the head of this branch of the fire service. 

In 1852 Captain Sutter marched through San Francisco and reviewed his troop on California 
street. He was in full uniform, and wore a Napoleon corked hat, but looked careworn. His 
company attracted much attention, for his name was then a power. 

In the days of six-shooters and bowie-knives, a duel was considered by many of the best 
people of the State the only honorable way of settling a serious quarrel, and many men, whose 
consciences smote them for engaging in such affrays, lacked the moral courage to decline a 
challenge. 

In 1859 David S. Terry was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California, and David 
C Broderick was a United States senator. Both were Democrats, but the Democracy of the 
State was divided. Gwin, Terry, Ashe, Brooks, Benham, and others worked the Lecompton, 
or pro-slavery, wing, while Broderick, a warm friend of Stephen A. Douglas, was the leader 
of those who opposed the extension of slavery. The friends of the Administration wished 
Broderick out of the way, that they might re-unite and control the party. Before the State 
Convention of the Lecompton Democrats, Judge Terry said : " They (the anti-Lecomptonites) 
iire the followers of one man, the personal chattels of a single individual whom they are 



124 PIO^'EERS OF '49. 

ashamed of. They belong, heart, soul, body, and breeches, to David C. Broderick. They are 
yet ashamed to acknowledge their master, and are calling themselves, aye, forsooth, Douglas 
Democrats, when it is known, well known to them, as to us, that the gallant Senator from 
Illinois, whose voice has always been heard in the advocacy of Democratic principles, wha 
now is not disunited from the Democratic party, has no afifiliation with them, no feeling in 
common with them. JVIr. President and gentlemen, I am mistaken in denying their right to 
claim Douglas as a leader. Perhaps they do sail under the flag of Douglas ; but it is the 
banner of the black Douglass, whose name is Frederick, not Stephen." 

Broderick read this, sitting at breakfast in the International Hotel. " I see," said he, " that 
Terry has been abusing me. I now take back the remark that I once made, that he is the 
only honest judge on the Supreme bench. I was his friend when he was in need of friends, 
for which I am sorry. During his incarceration by the Vigilance Committee, I paid two 
hundred dollars a week to support a newspaper in his defence. Had the Committee disposed 
of him as they did of others, they would have done a righteous act." This was spoken to a 
friend of Terry, who told the latter. A retraction was demanded and refused. Terry sent a 
challenge, which was accepted, and resigned the Chief-Justiceship of the Supreme Court of 
California to engage in the last of the four most famous duels fought in the United States. 



*& 



The challenger was unharmed, but Broderick, "the noblest Roman of them all," fell, mortally 
wounded. Before he died he said : " They have killed me because I was opposed to slavery 
and a corrupt administration." Among the friends who witnessed, through tears, the exit of 
that great soul, and followed the remains to the spot now marked by a beautiful monumental 
shaft at Lone Mountain, was our comrade, Hon. John Conness. Terry was put under $10,000 
bonds. 

Scores, perhaps hundreds, of other duels were fought by parties of lesser eminence. The 
last between prominent men, was that of James R. Smedberg and F. W. Gardener, in which 
the former was wounded, at Saucelito. 

Late in 1852, Colonel J. Bankhead Magruder, Third Artillery, U. S. A., commenced an even- 
ing at Harry Monroe's restaurant, Los Angeles, with three or four jolly friends. Wine soon 
loosened tongues. Magruder declared, with characteristic suavity, that Andrew Jackson was 
the greatest man who ever trod shoe-leather. Colonel John C. Wheeler tossed off a goblet of 
Krugto"the greatest American statesman, Henry Clay " ; while Thompson Burrill quaffed 
placidly away to "the memory of Daniel Webster, the greatest man the world ever produced." 
A certain disciple of Esculapius, who was present, then arose, as ostentatiously as it was 
possible for him to rise, under the circumstances, and said: "My father, who was sheriff of 
Cayuga county, N. Y., was the greatest of all Americans !" Magruder replied, vehemently: 

" Doctor, you 're a d d fool ! " The doctor at once challenged Magruder to fight, which 

cartel of defiance was at once accepted, the combat to take place on the spot, and over the 
dining table, from end to end, distance twelve feet ; weapons —derringer pistols. 

Major Horace Bell says: "Wilson Jones, the doctor's second, got the word, and the 
principals, without shaking hands, took their respective stations, the majestic form of Magruder 
towering above that of the diminutive doctor, who paled and shuddered when brought face to 
face with the grim-visaged son of Mars. All was suspense. The word was to be : Ready! 
One, two, three ! Fire ! At the word 'ready,' to the dismay of all, the doctor blazed away. 
When the smoke cleared somewhat, to the horror of the valiant physician, his antagonist stood 
as stiff and defiant as an avenging demon. The doctor quailed ; Magruder glared savagely on 
him for a full minute. The spectators, spell-bound, looked on with horrible forebodings. 
Magruder took 'two side steps to the right,' which brought him clear of the end of the table. 



THE CHIJiESE QJJABTER. 125 

He then advanced 'the right foot full to the front,' witli his glaring eyeballs bent fiercely on 
his now terrified challenger. He then brought the left foot up to the rear of the right heel, 
and leveled his derringer at the ghastly face of the trembling doctor. Then he advanced the 
right foot, as before, and, in this way, with firm and unrelenting tread, he slowly advanced on 
the now thoroughly frightened man, who made a movement toward the door. The spectators 
interposed, and cut off the possibility of retreat in that direction. The doctor tried to fiank 
the colonel by skirmishing around the table. Magruder faced to the left, as though moving 
on a pivot, and kept the direful derringer aimed directly at the doctor's pallid countenance. 
In the excitement the latter ran under the table, crawled through, grasped the knees of the 
irate hero, and, affectionately embracing them, said: ' Colonel Magruder, for the love of God, 

spare me for my family.' The colonel gave him a kick, and said : ' D n you ! I '11 

spare you for the hangman.' And, so saying, he handed the weapon to his second, and the 
festivities were adjourned." 

Tuesday evening a party of thirty-nine, with a guide, went through the Chinese quarter, first 
visiting the Mission School, where two Presbyterian ladies were teaching thirty children 
to speak English. The opium joints and joss house were objects of great interest, but the 
theatres were the greatest attraction of all. Harper's Weekly describes these better than I can ; — 

" These establishments are two in number, and as the Chinese are assiduous theatre-jroers. 
the houses are crowded every night. The performance begins at seven, and lasts till one or 
two o'clock in the morning; but even a performance of this length is only a section of a play, 
which goes on night after night for a week or two. The stage is a mere platform; there are 
no foot-lights, the only illumination being that from two small gasaliers. There are no cur- 
tains, no scenery, flies, or wings; no proscenium, or properties other than a table, two chairs, 
fans, and weapons. The scene is indicated in the primitive way by displaying a board, on 
which is written 'forest,' 'room,' and so on. This is put in front of the actors, and the imagi- 
nation of the spectators does the rest. The joss and household gods are, as in every Chinese 
dwelling, in the background. The rear wall separates the stage from the actors' dressin"-- 
room and the kitchen, and a circular window covered with netting enables the manager to 
watch the performance, and enables the audience to see the manager at supper. 

" Behind the space occupied by the actors is the orchestra — a dismal fiddle, a flageolet, a 
tambourine, a bass drum, banjos, and gongs. The gong-player is the director of the music; 
the one-stringed fiddle is held like a violoncello, and is a most painful instrument. There are 
frequent lapses into song in a Chinese play, but the airs are wild and formless, and the orches- 
tral accomjjaniment quite independent of the singer. There may be worse noises than a 
Chinese duet, but not many. The actors are everything by turns, or rather at once — poets, 
acrobats, singers, musicians; there is no such thing as a specialty. The costumes are 
gorgeous. Rich gold embroidery, heavy silks and velvets, costly feathers and jewelry, form an 
important feature of the display. The plays are mostly historic, and, as already stated, last for 
days. Chinese acting has no dignity, no repose, no beauty, and the plays are weak and with- 
out situation, while the plots are of almost childish simplicity. 

" It is not commonly known, however, that there is a national patronage of the drama in 
China, as in France and Germany, and that actors receive generous salaries, ranging from 
$ I, coo to $4,000 — sums equal to at least three times those amounts here. In China the 
female roles are still played by boys, and an actor who plays the leading female part will 
receive about $3,500. He certainly earns it, as he has to shuftle about in the ungraceful fash- 
ion of Chinese women, talk in falsetto, and sing in high soprano with an effort that must make, 
liis throat sore. 



126 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

"Very often the drama is cut into two parts, and a light comedy played between. This is 
always of the most realistic character, depicting every-day life among the lower classes. It is 
reported that the grossest indecencies are represented in some of these plays. The acrobats 
or tumblers make their entrance ^7/ masse at about eleven o'clock, and the whole stage is filled 
with all the members of the troupe. Their feats are wonderful. The great battle scene, an 
indispensable requisite in a Chinese theatre, then takes place, and a terrific display comes of 
banging, hammering, screaming, twanging, and tooting. The braggart is made up terribly — 
his face is as white as paper, his hair and beard black and shaggy, his eyebrows are at least 
an inch wide, and a gorgeous robe covers his figure. He growls, stamps, swaggers, and 
brandishes his axe, till another figure enters, the embodiment of cruelty and cunning. Haughty 
challenges are given ; the leaders proceed to behead their adversaries' troops, the loss of a 
head being denoted by bending the neck and retiring from the stage. New armies come on 
as fast as the old ones are decapitated, and all the time the noise is deafening. The nasal 
sing-song and high pitch of the " Cousins of the Moon " will certainly leave untouched the 
Caucasian ear, but the Mongolian is delighted, and the audience very demonstrative in their 
approval. This does not hinder them from eating sweetmeats, smoking, and drinking saki, 
which waiters carrv around among the audience. The audience all wear their hats, as it is 
regarded as a great breach of etiquette for any one not to do so in public. The price of 
admission at the San Francisco theatre is fifty cents, but it is needless to say that this is only- 
collected from Americans, the Chinamen most likely paying only ten cents." 

We are told that 6oo people live under ground in one square, where even passage-ways are 
made hardly wide enough for one to pass comfortably, so closely do they utilize space. There 
are said to be many places of evil repute, and all the denizens are not Chinese, but the police 
hold them in subjection. On the other hand, however, there are many Chinamen of excellent 
reputation, of education, wealth, and refinement. Sixty thousand dollars' worth of Chinese 
and Japanese goods are said to be sold here monthly. 

Mr. Edward Pierrepont, who has observed them closely, says that the Chinese are cleanly^ 
and will not work where they cannot easily wash all over in water. "They are industrious, 
economical, law-abiding; never intoxicated or quarrelsome ; wonderfully patient and enduring; 
can carry heavy burdens on their shoulders, if suspended on a pole between two of them, but 
they are by no means strong in general, and in hard work with the shovel or pick can do but 
about half the work of an Irishman. They are very clannish, and will not work for a man 
who has treated one of them unjustly. When they leave a house, they are not likely to give 
a reason ; but they are sure to leave a secret mark, which will prevent a Chinaman from 
remaining who may take the vacant place, if left for cause. And yet, when one of them 
becomes maimed beyond recovery, or sick beyond hope of restoration, they leave him alone 
to die, and go not near him except stealthily to see that he is dead, and then they hire some 
one (not a Chinese) to bury him. They seem a present necessity for this coast, where labor 
is so difficult to obtain; but no American who has seen them in San Francisco would wish to 
have an indefinite increase in their numbers." No one seems to wish to have the Chinese 
go, though many are violently opposed to their immigration. In a speech made nine years ago, 
Mr. William T. Coleman gives a fair expression of the views of candid men in San 
Francisco: 

'■'■ Felloui-citisens : I will treat the Chinese question in different aspects, probably, from 
others. There are three things that can be said in favor of the Chinese that have attracted 
many people, and given them a status, where, perhaps, a fuller acquaintance with them, and 
a fuller consideration of all questions involved, would not have been so favorable to themj 




THE CHINESE QUARTER. 



128 PIO^EEBS OF '49. 

viz. that physically, mentally, and politically, they are equal, if not superior, to the average of 
mankind. Beyond that, the comparison is against them. Physically, as laborers in the field, 
on the farm, heavy work and light, in many departments, and as operatives and artisans they 
show quickness, strength, sprightliness, endurance, accuracy, and fidelity, in a great degree. 
Mentally, they are quick, acute, and correct in their perceptions, apt, strong, and tenacious in 
memory, and rarely fail in the lessons that have been taught them. In the higher walks, we 
know that, as scholars, statesmen, and diplomats, they are astute and far-reaching, and held 
in great respect. Politically (and by politically I give that meaning which embraces polite- 
ness, adroitness, cunning, and artfulness) they are shrewd and circumspect, and full of 
resources and adaptability. 

" If we could continue these favorable comparisons, there would be no need for this meeting 
to-day nor the excitement and active opposition that have been made, and we are now making, 
and mus/ make, against their continued immigration ; but unfortunately, or possibly fortu- 
nately, here the fair comparison ceases. We find that in their habits, customs, thoughts, im- 
pulses, education, action; in their ethics, morals, and religion (or lack of religion) ; in their 
social and political views, — they are so different from us, so radically and essentially divergent, 
and, in all, so fixed, — as to make it undesirable for them to be with us or near us, and impossible 
for them to become citizens, or part and parcel with us. Nor do they wish to become a part 
with us. They come to this country merely as adventurers and gleaners, or, in their estima- 
tion, as conquerors of fortune. They come for a term, a cruise, a campaign, leaving behind 
their families and all they love and cherish and respect, — come purely seeking the "golden 
fleece," to carry it back with them, or remit it to their homes, and to follow it; never dreaming 
•of permanently quitting their own country, or severing their allegiance, adherence and sub- 
mission to the laws and will of China. They bring with them, and maintain, all their habits 
and customs. By their dress, garb, and every vesture, they disdain and spurn the idea of 
affiliating or assimilating with the Americans or other 'outside barbarians.' They don't 
want to become, — at least the larger part of them don 't want to, — or think of ever becoming, 
permanent residents ; certainly of not becoming citizens, niiless it be as conquerors and 
masters, — holding their home allegiance firmly, and looking down on us with a quiet contem])t. 
They feel that there they have a nation and history far superior, far higher, and far beyond all 
others on the earth. 

"The Chinaman conceives he stands on a higher plane, and looks back through the grand 
vista of ages in one unbroken view ; the grand colonnade of emperors, statesmen, scholars, 
soldiers, reaching back in one glorious sweep to the days of Confucius, now 2,700 years ago- 
Beyond that he counts, or claims to count, 1,300 years more of unbroken history; and beyond 
that — but only in the depths of tradition and song — he yet claims a grand ancestry. He 
points to the fact that China was old and prosperous when Rome and Greece were young; that 
she had attained great advancement at the beginning of our Christian era ; that Confucius had 
taught his philosophy 900 years, and Gautama his aoctrines 500 years, before that epoch. 
Coming down through the long period of 1,500 years, he shows that, when America was dis- 
<:overed, China was in her highest state of civilization, and had a system of internal improve- 
ments and other grand works superior to any thing else on the earth. He claims for all of 
this a superiority physically, mentally, politically, and otherwise; and asks where can be a 
comparison made to him. He has much in this to be proud of ; and while his claims are 
excessive, and while our advancement in civilization, arts, sciences, literature, and wealth, 
under Christian dispensation, are so far beyond his, yet he is blind to them, and keeps his eye 
steadfast on the age and grandeur and unification of China; and with his mind always on 



THE CHIJ^ESE QUESTION. 129 

the past, he has not believed, or has been indifferent to the fact, that the world moved and 
improved, and that he was centuries behind the times, and is positively retrograding. 

" Let not our philanthrophic friends abroad think that the Chinaman is fleeing to America to 
seek the ctgis of our protection. Let them bear in mind that there are no refugees from China 
except criminals. There are no social, political, or religious migrations, like the Puritans to 
New England, the Huguenots to the South, like the Irish patriots, or the Jews from Russia 
to-day, fleeing for safety, and seeking an asylum and a home. Even to-day she has a navy 
that puts ours to shame. She lies within thirty days of us, and coujd, if occasion require it, 
place on our shores an army, the equal of which modern times have not seen. This is not 
likely to occur soon, but it may come. The death of a single prominent Chinaman in this 
country, or a single American in that, or any mishap, may work a complication that would at 
once put us in arms. 

" It is said that in Great Britain there will be put afloat, this year, at least one million of tons 
register of iron ships and steamers; more probably 1,200,000 tons, or 1,200 vessels of a 
thousand tons each. If occasion recjuired, China could buy one-half of this fleet ; and with 
her own, and such as she could get together, she could start a thousand vessels on short 
notice, bringing two thousand men each, and hurl, almost before we knew it, two million 
people on our coast. This could be readily multiplied, so that five, ten, or even twenty millions 
could be here in a comparatively short time. 
********* **** 

" Now, fellow citizens, let me ask you and our Eastern friends what would be the position of 
California to-morrow with a Chinese invasion, and a Chinese settlement in tJie centre of every 
city, every toiun on the coasts each one compact, unified, and solid against us ; with isolated 
Chinamen throughout the country, — men who could act, and would act, inevitably, for their 
people, as scouts, spies, and guides, leading them through our mountain passes, into our 
valleys, villages, and towns; betraying to them all our strongholds, and exposing all our 
weaknesses ; every Chinaman in the country, with his knowledge of its topography and 
surroundings, being to the invaders worth a hundred of their own men ! With the large forces 
China could land here with modern arms, the land could be swept and devastated, as do 
myriads of locusts in one unbroken mass sweep over a country, devouring every living thing 
before them. And do not let our people suppose that the Chinese cannot make soldiers. See 
them walk our streets, and over our hills and mountains — the long, swinging step, and easy, 
regular gait; see them making long marches, and carrying big burdens over hills and valleys, 
and it is patent to everyone that they would make splendid marching militia; and, well 
broken in and well handled, they are good fighters too." 

On Wednesday we visited Golden Gate Park, and the Cliff House, both beautiful for situa- 
tion and adornment, and looked at Seal Rock, which has not changed since 1849, for, protected 
by a wise law, the seals in large numbers still sun themselves thereon. One fat fellow is called 
Ben Butler. They are hair seals, or, as some call them, sea-lions. We saw the steamer 
Gaelic, which came in the day before, fourteen days from Yokohama, with eighty-three cabin, 
twenty European, and 258 Chinese steerage passengers, and 1,537 tons of cargo, including 
5,000 caddies of new season tea. Captain Willis and I visited the new cruiser, Charleston, 
which is a beauty, according to modern standards, although lacking the symmetry and maze 
of tall, taper masts, spars and hamper which distinguished the Constitution, Minnesota, 
Hartford, and others of our old fleet. A buoyant hull of pure white, with a red run, shelters 
500 men, of whom seven eighths are American born, mostly from New England. The dimen- 
sions of this vessel, which was built and furnished at San Francisco and Mare Island, are: 



30 PIO^^EERS OF '49. 



Length over all, 320 feet ; lengthen load line, 300; breadth, 46 ; draught of water aft, 19/^; 
mean draught of water aft, iS>^; displacement, 3,750 tons; indicated horse-power, natural 
draught, 5,000 ; indicated horse-power, forced draught, 6,700; maximum speed, 18.75 knots; 
cost, exclusive of armament, $1,017,500. Although of only 3,400 tons, as compared with 
European monsters of 14,000, I believe the Charleston would prove superior to more than one 
of them, on account of greater efficiency, for in her construction especial attention was given 
to making the quarters of officers and men alike roomy, and well ventilated, and to facilities 
for working to the best advantage one of the finest armaments afloat. 

0.0 

We called on John W. Dodge, with whom I played when a boy, at Block Island, who sailed 
from Providence on his first voyage the same day as I, but on another vessel, a bark, and wha 
prospected with me in the mines a month or two. He was very sick at his home on Hyde 
street, but has since recovered. 

What a contrast between our fare and rates at the Palace Hotel, as compared with those of 
a bill of fare in the possession of Treasurer Josiah Hayward, of our Society, as used at the 
Ward House in San Francisco, Dec. 27, 1849! 

Here are some of the items : Ox tail soup, $1 ; baked trout, $1.50; roast beef, $2; fresh 
California eggs, $1 each; omelette, $2; potatoes and other vegetables, 50 cents for each side 
dish ; pie, pudding, or prune sauce, 75 cents. 

Some of our party visited the mint, where we saw a press stamping and milling 450 pieces 
a minute; four others turning out $450,000 per hour; and still another making a $20 gold 
piece at each revolution, and $100,000 per hour: but not all these were in motion. In one 
vault was $10,000,000 in gold, and in another $7,000,000 in silver. All the machinery is moved 
by an engine of 150 horse-power, built here in 1874, which runs so quietly that it does not 
interfere with conversation. W^hen last they cleaned up, as they do once in two or three 
months, they got $3,200 in gold by burning a carpet, and $1,900 by sweeping the chimneys. 
Floors are covered with iron gratings to catch dust. In a cabinet was a spoon taken from 
Solomon's Temple 932 B. C, a shekel in circulation 3,000 years ago, and other old coins. A 
United States silver dollar of 1804, of which only four were made, is valued at $1,400, and one 
of 1794 at $50. 

On Friday the Masons of our company were royally entertained at the Masonic Temple. 
We also received kind attention from the Viticultural Commission, who invited us to their fine 
exhibition. 

William M. Thayer says, in Marvels of the New West : — 

" Five thousand men were at work in the mines before the close of the year 1848, and the 
product of their labor wasyf?'^ milh'on dollars, an average of otie iJioiisand dollars to a man. 
There were about two thousand men living in San Francisco in January, 1848, all but five of 
whom left for the gold field. 

"There were scarcely two thousand Americans in California in February, 1848; in Decem- 
ber there were six thousand; in July, \%\(), fifteen thousand; and in December of that year, 
fifty-three thousand. It was claimed that the rush of men to California, in five years after the 
discovery of gold, was so immense as to remove the centre of our country's population eighty- 
one miles west. Then the inhabitants of California numbered three hundred thousand, and 
nearly three hundred and seventy tnillion dollars had been extracted from the mines." 

C. H. Shinn says: " The summer of 1849 saw no less than five hundred and forty-nine sea- 
going vessels in the port of San Francisco. In the month of August four hundred large ships 
were idly swinging at anchor, destitute of crews, for their sailors had deserted, swam ashore, 
escaped to the gold fields. Thirty-five thousand men came by sea, and forty-two thousand by 



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TRADE WITH AUSTRALIA /^ '49. 131 

land, during the year. Australia, the Asian coasts, Africa, and South America contributed to 
the motley host that thronged the road to the placers." 

Mr. Thayer quotes the following prices then ruling in San Francisco: "A shirt, $25; a 
comb, $6 ; barrel of mess pork, $220 ; dozen sardines, $35 ; a hundred pounds of flour, $75 ; 
a candle, $3; tin pan, $9; shovel, $10; pick, $15." 

The following stories, by J. F. B. Marshall in the Century Magazine, March, 1891, illustrate 
the vicissitudes of California trade in 1849, ^"<^^ the far-reaching influence of the gold excite- 
ment: "The schooner PlymoutJi, Captain Gould, had sailed from Honolulu, Nov. 9, 1848, and 
arrived at Sydney, Australia, December 20. She carried California gold dust, sugar, etc., and 
was to bring back a load of clothing, blankets, and provisions, which were in great demand in 
San Francisco. The news of Marshall's discovery had not reached Sydney, and Gould wished 
to keep the secret long enough to load and sail before any other vessel could be loaded for 
California. 

" When only about half the cargo was on board, but fortunately not till after most of it had 
been purchased, one of the crew, who had been plied with liquor, divulged the secret. The 
city was at once in a ferment. The walls were covered with placards, announcing 'The 
Plymojith secret unveiled ! Gold discovered in California ! Great rush for the mines ! Fab- 
ulous prices paid for goods ! ' etc. Six large ships were at once laid on ' For San Francisco, 
and the gold mines,' and full freights, and passengers were speedily engaged. Spies watched 
the lading of the Plyjnonth, and similar goods were bought at greatly enhanced prices over 
what Gould had paid. I quote from a recent letter of the veteran pioneer in Australian gold 
discoveries, Edward Hammond Hargraves, of Sydney, New South Wales: — 

'" On the arrival of the Plymouth 1 was at my cattle station on the Manning River. There 
was not much excitement for some days after her arrival, until the gold was offered for sale, and 
I may say hawked about, and, I believe, sold for £2 per ounce. . . . Placards and posters 
covered the walls of Sydney, announcing the discovery of gold in California; and ships, very 
many, were laid on for San Francisco. . . . The rush to California was something to be 
remembered. ... I had brought seventy fat bullocks via Maitland, and failed to get £l 
per head for them. A friend of mine, now in life, brought a large herd from the Namoi, and 
sold them for 12s. 6d. each — bullocks of eight and nine hundredweight, and superior cattle to 
mine. Boiling down for the. fat then became the order of the day. It took all the proceeds 
to pay the stockmen's wages, ^20 per annum. I looked about to see what was the next best 
thing to do, and sold all my cattle on the station to a neighbor (Mr. Searle) for 5s. per head, 
and gave the yard and huts into the bargain, and took passage for San Francisco in the bark 
Elizabeth Archer, Captain Cobb, and arrived {via Pitcairn's Island) in September, 1849. 
Mined at Wood's Creek, Southern Mines, and returned to San Francisco in February, 1850. 
Wrote to my friends in New South Wales, expressing my belief that I had been in a gold 
field there. (This letter is now extant.) I was simply laughed at. However, I was fully 
convinced in my own mind; and reasoning from analogy, and having faith in the uniformity 
of nature, I returned to New South Wales in the bark Maria, Captain Devlin, on the 20th of 
January, 1851, and made the discovery {vide pamphlet) on the 12th day of February, 1851 ; 
and up to 1886^333,000,000 in gold has been mined in these colonies (Australasia). I came to 
Sydney in 1832, and am now (April, 1889) in my seventy-third year.' 

" Hargraves claimed a reward of ^20,000 from the colony for his discovery. His claim was 
allowed, but the colony was divided before the amount was paid. He received from the 
parent colony of New South Wales its one-half the promised reward, but the new colony of 
Victoria has paid but about one-fourth of the ^10,000 which was her share, and the claim of 



132 Pioxi:£A'S OF '49. 

Mr. Hargraves for the balance bids fair to have as long a life as the French spoliation claims 
have had with us. 

"The Plyviotith left Sydney on the 8th of January, with a cargo of pork, oilmen's stores, 
ironmongery, wine, one ton biscuit, hams, and brandy. As Gould's orders were to touch at 
Honolulu on his way to San Francisco, and half a dozen large ships were rapidly loading for 
the latter port, there was no time to be lost. Crowding all sail, he reached Honolulu in 
safety, and reported to us his exciting news. A hurried council was held, and after much 
discussion it was decided to divide the risk and sell half the cargo in Honolulu at auction, 
letting the rest take its chances in San Francisco. As all the reports which had come from 
the coast were of continued scarcity and enormous prices, and as the Honolulu market had been 
exhausted of the goods which the Plymotitli brought, the sale resulted in a very handsome 
profit. Well would it have been for us if we had sold the whole cargo at Honolulu. A large 
proportion of the goods sold there was sent over in the schooner as freight by the purchasers, 
who had reason to rue their investment, and on the PlymcmtJCs arrival at San Francisco she 
found the market glutted. Cargoes of the goods which the schooner brought had come in 
from Valparaiso, Lima, and other ports. Some of the Sydney vessels which had gone direct 
had arrived, and there was no demand for the goods which had cost so much effort, and from 
the sale of which we had hoped to reap fabulous profits. The wisdom of the partners who 
had urged the sale of the whole cargo at Honolulu was fully vindicated. 

" In those early days of the gold excitement goods that were in demand brought almost any 
price that the conscience of the merchant would allow him to ask; when the market was 
supplied, the same class of goods could hardly be given away. Nobody had the capital or 
the room to spare for the purchase of goods that were not in immediate demand. Storage 
rates were so high that the value of the goods would soon be consumed. Many a shipper to 
San Francisco in those days found a heavy storage bill to pay in addition to the total loss of 
the shipment. At one time, when tobacco was so scarce at the mines that the weed was 
worth almost literally its weight in gold, a young friend of mine came to Honolulu from the 
coast, quietly bought up all the tobacco in the island market, and started back to San f^ran- 
cisco, sanguine of making a fortune. His crazy craft sprung a leak when a few days out, 
and had to return to port for repairs. The delay was fatal. When he finally reached San 
Francisco, he saw the pilot's cheek distended with a huge quid, and his heart sank; streams 
of tobacco juice were running from the mouths of the stevedores, who contemptuously 
unloaded the superfluous weed. The warehouses were full of tobacco, and large stocks of it 
•were still on board vessels in the harbor, not worth unloading. The shopkeepers who had 
promised him large profits, if he only would replenish their stock, now informed him, between 
intervals of expectoration, that they had more on hand than they knew what to do with. A 
cloud of tobacco smoke seemed to hang over the city like a pall. The venture resulted in 
total loss. When I visited San Francisco some weeks later, I actually crossed the miry 
streets on some of these very boxes of tobacco, which the authorities had found the cheapest 
substitute for stepping-stones. 

" Only the fate of poor Gould remains to be told. After disposing of the schooner and her 
cargo, he started from San Francisco with $35,000 of the proceeds in gold dust for Boston. 
Two days after leaving Aspinwall, he died of cholera,— the only one of 500 passengers who 
was taken with that dread disease. 

" The following incident was related to me by Mr. G. D. Gilman, for many years a merchant 
at the Hawaiian Islands, and now a well-known citizen of Boston, and a member of the Gen- 
eral Court of Massachusetts. 



p. T. BABjYUM'S flak. 133 

"With the news of the discovery of gold in California, in 184S, United States Army officers 
stationed there sent specimens home to their friends and to the War Department as curiosities. 
But, to the best of Mr. Oilman's knowledge, the first California gold exhibited and sold in 
Wall street was taken there by himself on the first day of March, 1849. Mr. Gilman was the 
first passenger to reach New York from San Francisco after the discovery, and brought with 
him a quantity of the ore, finding it a more profitable remittance than the coin which he had 
brought from Honolulu, and for which the miners gladly exchanged their dust at a liberal dis- 
count. Mr. Gilman tells the following story of his first day in New York : — 

" I reached New York very early in the morning, and, being an entire stranger, accepted 
the friendly offices of the purser of the steamer, who took me to the Clinton Hotel, then kept 
by Simeon Leland, afterward of the Metropolitan Hotel. 

" After breakfast, Mr. Leland kindly took me in charge, to assist me in procuring a costume 
more befitting an appearance in New York than my California outfit. Among the places vis- 
ited in this tour of reconstruction was Lovejoy's hair-dressing rooms, at the corner of Beek- 
man street and Park Row. Here, as everywhere, the talk was of the wonderful news from 
California. 

"While still under the hands of the barber, and sleepily listening to his freely given views 
upon the exciting topic of the day, I saw Mr. Leland approaching me, accompanied by a fine- 
looking, frank, open-faced man, who advanced buttoning on his collar, with his gingham neck- 
tie hanging over his arm, as if he had no time to lose. Mr. Leland introduced him to rae by a 
name which at first had no significance for me, though its fame had already reached the 
islands of the' sea as that of the great Moral Showman. Said he courteously : — 

" ' I hear that you are just from California, the first passenger to arrive from the land of gold. 
That is very interesting. You can tell us all about it. May I ask if you have had any con- 
versation with any one on the subject since your arrival 1 ' I replied that I had only just 
landed, and had had no opportunity to talk about the matter. ' Ah, very good, very good!' 
said he. ' Then please don't, let me beg of you, till you have seen me again. Mr. Leland has 
kindly promised to call with you at my office. If you will write ' California' on your card, the 
doorkeeper will admit you at once.' He bowed and took his leave. 

" Engrossed by my own interesting concerns, I did not think to ask any questions of Mr. 
Leland about my interrogator, and learned nothing more of him till we found ourselves at the 
door of Barnum's Museum. We were conducted to the private office of the redoubtable pro- 
prietor, who, politely seating us, proceeded at once to business. 

" ' Well, sir, you know we all want to know the way to California now-a-days. By what 
route did you come ? ' 

" ' Across the Isthmus.' 

" ' Ah, very good ! Then you can tell us all about mule traveling. A very interesting route. 
Cuts the journey short. Some dangers, of course. Did you go out by the same route ?' 

" ' I went out around the Horn, sir.' 

" ' Ah, that 's good ! Many of our people will want to go that way. Cheaper route. Of 
course you know about mining ? ' 

" ' I have not been to the mines myself,' I replied. 

" ' Oh ! Ah ! Well, you understand the process, no doubt, and know all about the life 
there. You 've heard it talked about ? ' 

" I replied that I had not heard much else talked about for the last six months. 

"'I thought so! I thought so ! You're just the man we want, sir ! Just the very man ! 
Now here 's my plan, sir. I 've got a plan, sir, which cannot fail of success, and which will 



-34 PIOKEERfi OF '49. 



prove highly remunerative to both of us, sir. This city is wild with excitement, as you know ; 
just crazy with the idea of gold in California. Thousands are seeking for information about 
how to get there, what to do, where to find the gold. Now for my plan. I "ve had a specimen 
lump of gold prepared, weighing twenty-five pounds. No sham, sir — real gold. You can 
depend upon it ; I can bring you all the certificates you want to convince you of the fact.' 

" ' But,' I interrupted, 'twenty-five pounds ! I never heard of so large a piece being found.' 

" Mr. Barnum seemed slightly taken aback at this, and asked what was the largest piece I 
had heard of. I replied, ' Seven ounces ; but it had not reached San Francisco when I left.' 

" ' Seven ounces ! ' exclaimed he. ' Why, that is too small. Every man who is going out 
expects to pick up rocks of it ! Seven ounces ! Well, well ! ' 

"He looked confounded for a moment; then throwing back his shoulders, as if to shake off 
his disappointment, he rallied to his well-arranged plan. ' Well, sir, I '11 tell you what we can 
do. You prepare a short lecture on the subject, to be delivered in my lecture-room, — not 
over fifteen minutes long, better ten, — and then be prepared to answer questions (they'll 
be sure to come thick and fast) about the different routes, the mining, wages, means, and cost 
of living; just how to do it, you understand. We will have a small table on the stage, with 
my twenty-five-pound lump of gold on it. As you are talking, you can handle it; just pass 
your hand over it now and then — and — and — I would n't have you tell a lie about it for 
anything, Mr. Gilman — but if — you see — they get the idea that that's the kind of lumps 
they may find, a fortune 's made, and we '11 share it." 

" My reply sprang involuntarily to my lips : ' But what a perfect humbug that would be ! ' 

" With a bright, beaming smile the great showman patted me gently on the shoulder, and 
with a significant look said, ' My dear sir, the bigger the humbug, the better the people will 
like it.' 

"With thanks I respectfully declined the tempting proposition. Mr. Barnum very court- 
eously urged me to consider it, and hoped I would see my way clear in some way to give the peo- 
ple the information they so much desired. But I was too impatient to reach my home in Maine to 
do this. Under Mr. Leland's guidance I visited several of the banks and moneyed institutions 
in Wall street, where I exhibited my specimens of the gold, both coarse and fine." 

But Mr. Gilman failed to improve his golden opportunity to make his own and the eminent 
showman's fortune. 




VIGIL AJS'CE COMMITTEES. 135 



CHAPTER XV 



SAN FRANCISCO VIGILANCE COMMITTEES. 

The gods 
Grow angry with your patience; 'tis their care, 
And must be yours, that guilty men escape not : 
As crimes do grow, justice should rouse itself. 

— Ben Jonson. 

The crisis presses on us ; face to face with us it stands, 

With solemn lips of question, like the Sphynx in Egypt's sands ! 

This day we fashion Destiny, our web of Fate we spin ; 

This day for all hereafter choose we holiness or sin ; 

Even now, from starry Gerizim, or Ebal's cloudy crown. 

We call the dews of blessing or the bolts of cursing down ! 

— Whittier. 

PASTORAL California had few and simple laws; yet these sufficed, for the Spanish 
Americans were law-abiding citizens, and crime was almost unknown. The earlier set- 
tlers were also honorable men and women, and were satisfied with the primitive government. 
Intending to pass their lives in the country, all had a direct and abiding interest in the com- 
mon welfare. Society was stable; hence conservative, although very provincial. 

The discovery of gold worked a bewildering change. The country became at once the most 
cosmopolitan on earth. In a year the immigrant population increased a hundred fold ; and 
annually, for several years thereafter, fully one fourth of the people left for distant homes, — 
twice as many taking their places. Nine tenths of these were scattered among the mines, 
where it was inconvenient to take part in local politics. Most of the others were absorbed in 
the mad race for wealth ; and nearly all neglected the public weal of a country, which each 
expected to leave as soon as he could " make his pile." Most cheerfully did they leave to 
others the grave responsibility of framing laws for a community, such as had never been 
known before ; and with equal satisfaction was the work undertaken by the only classes 
that seemed to have the necessary leisure — the idle and the vicious. Herein lay the germ of 
trouble enough, it would seem, in the natural course of events ; but it was greatly increased, 
and its coming hastened, by a well-meant act of the better class of citizens. 

Too busy, as they thought, to fight their own battles, yet willing to pay the bills, they 
brought out, at public expense, a regiment composed largely of loafers and criminals of eastern 
cities, far surpassing in infamy Billy Wilson's Fire Zouaves, of Pensacola memory. Peace 
ensuing, the regiment disbanded, but most of the members at once reorganized in a mutual aid 
society, called the " Hounds." Honest at first, as times went, provided society furnished 
promptly the living each considered his due ; the power of organized members in the midst 



13 G FIOJVJEFBS OF '49. 

of a wealthy, but unorganized community soon suggested, and immunity encouraged tlie idea 
that California should be run upon 

"The good old plan, 
That they shall take who have the power, 
And they shall keep who can." 

They levied widely and freely, paraded ostentatiously to music every Sunday, were always 
ready to serve as jurors, or as witnesses on either side of a case, for pay, and could be hired to 
drive a squatter, or a settler, from his land, to burn a house, and to beat, or kill a man. 
Strangers, unable to defend themselves, seldom escaped their attention. Men from Sing 
Sing, and convicts from Sydney joined the -'Hounds,'' and taught them how to enlarge their 
sphere of usefulness. Pride growing with power, they became ashamed of the old name, and 
called themselves " The San Francisco Society of Regulators." " It was a model system of 
vagabondage, a Platonic republic for vagrants and blackguards, and might most truthfully 
have been named a Society for the Promotion of Vice, or a veritable Hell-fire Club." They 
regulated elections, they collected debts for pay, considered a bill conclusive evidence of its 
own justice, and, without trial, seized property if payment was refused. The county sheriff, 
J. C. Pullis, was steward of this society, and other public officers were members. Taking a 
dislike to Spanish Americans, they drove them from the mines, and one Sunday about a hun- 
dred of them, under Sam Roberts, decided to expel every Chileno from San Francisco. 
Robbery, outrage, murder followed until the next morning, when quiet citizens opened their 
eyes upon a scene which stirred their blood. From a barrel at the corner of Clay and Mont- 
gomery streets, and then from the roof of a house, as the crowd grew larger, Samuel Brannan 
and Frank Ward denounced the Regulators. Some of the latter overhearing, drew knives and 
revolvers, and began to threaten darkly, for they were not accustomed to such talk in San 
Francisco, the city they had terrorized so long. But Sam was no chicken. Arriving in 1846, 
on the Brooklyjt, with a colony of Mormons, from New York, he had early kept store at Sut- 
ter's Fort. Prospering, he had engaged in different enterprises in various parts of California, 
knew many, was known by all, and had been a spectator, or participant in more than one scene 
of summary justice among the towns and camps of the interior. Baring his breast, he dared 
them to fire, while he poured forth a torrent of invective that would have excited the envy of a 
village scold. Sam won, and the Regulators were conquered, citizens aiding officials, July, 
1849. Comparative quiet reigned until Sept. 9, 1850, when California became a State, with 
constitution, legislature, courts, and the subsoil of society took advantage of the situation to 
work to the surface once more. 

" By manipulating primary elections and managing the polls, unprincipled demagogues were 
placed upon the bench, and ruffians made court officers. The most notorious offenders, by 
giving straw bail, by producing two or three members of their fraternity to swear an alibi, or 
by unblushing bribery, were sure of acquittal or escape. Police officers connived with profes- 
sional house-breakers and shared the spoil. Murderers were our congressmen, and shameless 
debauchees our senators. Our legislators were representatives of the sediment of society. 
Affrays between attorneys in court in the name and under the nose of justice, and duels in 
which an editor, judge, or politician was sure to figure, were frequent." Helper, in his Land 
of Gold, states that violent deaths in California from 1849 to 1854 inclusive, were as follows: 
by famine, sickness or Indians, overland, 1,600; wrecks and disease at sea, 2,200; in the mines 
from exposure, fever, hunger, and Indians, 5,300; suicides, 1,200; insanity, 1,700; murders. 



YIGILAJ^'CE COMMITTEES. 137 

4,200. '• Life was cheaper than under Anglo-Saxon law, when for killing a churl the murderer 
had to pay ten pounds, though for sixty pounds one might kill a king and go free. Had Herod, 
for the slaughter of the Innocents, been brought before a San Francisco jury at that time, he 
would have been acquitted. Judas Iscariot among the California Christians would have 
passed unscathed so long as any part of his thirty pieces of silver remained with him." 

All thought it a joke when they read, "The people of San Francisco do ordain": sixteen 
aldermen and assistants, $6,000 each per year; treasurer, $6,000 ; city marshal, city attorney, 
comptrollers, mayor, recorder, $10,000 apiece; tax collector, $18,000; with general appro- 
priations to correspond ; but the joke was soon found to be a practical one and was carried so 
far that the people retaliated sharply, when the officers, taking wholesome warning, became less 
extravagant. 

The first number of the San Francisco Hei-ald, June i, 1850, declared that an organized 
gang, mostly Sydney convicts, was busy maturing plans to burn and rob. Two or three at- 
tempts to fire the town were sometimes made in a single night. Dec. 24, 1849, more than 
$1,000,000 worth of property was consumed ; May 4, 1850, three blocks were burned with a loss 
of $4,000,000. June 14, 1850, a fire cost the people $5,000,000. Sept. 17, 1850, a large area of 
cheap buildings was burned over, involving a loss of $500,000. Dec. 14, 1850, a fire on Sac- 
ramento and Montgomery streets swept away $1,000,000. May 4, 1851, eighteen blocks were 
totally destroyed, and six others partially, an area in the heart of the city three-quarters of a 
mile long and half a mile wide, with a loss of $10,000,000 to $12,000,000. June 22, 1851, ten 
blocks and parts of six others consumed, cost business men $3,000,000. 

Feb. 19, 1 85 1, 8 p. M., two men entered the store of C. J. Jansen & Co., Montgomery street,, 
one door from Washington, knocked down and pounded Mr. Jansen until they thought him 
dead, robbed the store andfied. Mr. Jansen recovered, however, and described his assailants. 
Two men were taken who seemed to answer the description. One was supposed to be James 
Stuart, perhaps the worst of all the Sydney men, but claimed to be Thomas Burdue, another 
ex-convict. Jansen identified them in court, but an alibi was sworn, and an adjournment was 
taken for two days, with the possibility of acquittal. Six thousand to 7,000 people that day, 
and 8,000 to 10,000 the next, thronged the streets, demanding action. Some wanted to aid the 
court, if it were willing; to act without it, if necessary ; but, in any event, to move according to 
legal customs. Others, Samuel IJrannan leading, recommended instant execution. Startling 
proclamations were issued ; stirring editorials published. William T. Coleman determined to 
try a middle course. From the front balcony of the old Graham House, corner Pacific and 
Kearney streets, where the prisoners were confined, an officer urged people to disperse and 
leave all to the law. Coleman replied, stepping to the front : " No ! We will do no such 
thing! The people here have no confidence in your promises; and, unfortunately, they have 
no confidence in the execution of the law by its officers. This state of affairs has gone too far. 
Patience has fled. I propose that the people here present form themselves into a court, to be 
organized within this building, immediately ; that the jjrisoners be brought before it; that the 
testimony be taken, counsel on each side allotted ; that the trial be begun by twelve o'clock, 
and conducted fairly, dispassionately, resolutely ; and, if the prisoners be found innocent, let 
them be discharged; but, if guilty, let them be hanged as high as Haman, and that before the 
sun goes down ! " A shout, like the roar of the tempest, rose from the assembled thousands. 
" We don 't want a mob ! " said Coleman; "We won't have a mob ! Let us organize as be- 
comes men." So said, so done. With J. R. Spence, judge ; C. L. Ross and H. R. Bowie, 
associates; Coleman, prosecuting attorney; Hall McAllister, Calhoun Benham, and D. D. 
Shattuck, counsel for defence, twelve jurymen were sworn in, and the trial proceeded ; Judge 



138 



PIOXEERS OF '49. 



Shepherd protesting, officially, but without avail. Men who had known Stuart swore this was 
the man; others, some of them of undoubted honesty, swore it was not. The jury of the 
people disagreed ; but the regular court found him guilty, and awarded fourteen years. Before 
sentence was executed, the man was taken to Marysville, and tried for the murder of Sheriff 
Moore. The same vexed question of identity arose. The jury at first stood eight to four, and, 
after two days and one night, agreed for conviction. The sentence was death in thirty days. 
His companion broke jail, and there were still chances in his favor. 

Conviction had proved so difficult in this case, even when people and officers alike desired 
to convict, if guilty, that criminals grew very bold, and crime rapidly increased. Honest men 
were alarmed and indignant at the weakness and connivance of the courts, and earnest 
discussions in a dozen quarters indicated that decisive action was imminent. Sunday, June 
8, 1851, James Neal and George Oakes called on Sam Brannan at his office, northeast corner 
Bush and Sansome streets, and proposed that good men organize. Sam was ready, if need 
be, with his last moment of time, his last penny of property, and his last drop of blood. So 
they called a meeting for noon next day, at the California Engine House, junction of Market 
and Bush streets, opposite Oriental Hotel. Organization was effected, immediate, thorough, 
and well considered. Selim E. Woodworth was first president of the General Committee 
and Sam Brannan of the Executive; Isaac Bluxome, Jr., secretary ; and Eugene Delessert, 
treasurer. 

They were now ready for business, and they did not have to wait for it. The meeting at 
Brannan's stores had just adjourned Tuesday night, June 10, when a man knocked at the 
door, and stated that Simpton, alias John Jenkins, an Australian convict of eminence in his 
sphere, had been caught in the commission of a crime, and that his captors waited with the 
prisoner outside. Jenkins was ushered in, and with a stick George Oakes sounded the alarm 
on the California's bell,— three strokes and a pause, half a dozen times. Tliat night I came 

down on the steamer from Sacramento, returninsr 
with my partners from the mines on the North 
Fork of the American River. Just as we stepped 
upon the wharf, we heard the above alarm, and 
were told that the Vigilance Committee had work 
on hand. We went to the store of a friend named 
Lockwood, to leave our dust, but found that he 
was one of the committee and at headquarters. 
We told his clerk that we simply wanted to put 
our gold dust in the safe ; but he said he was 
sorry, for Mr. Lockwood had the key. " You can 
put it under the safe, though," said he, "and the 
old dog lying there on the watch will take just as good care of it." 

We unloaded as directed, and started for headquarters. Just as we came up, Sam 
Brannan, accompanied by James C. L. Wadsworth, came out some twenty feet from the 
building, and, mounting a fence on a sandhill, just opposite the Rassette House, told the 
crowd of 5,000 people or more that the prisoner would be hanged in one hour. He explained 
that Jenkins had stolen a safe from the shipping-office of Mr. Virgin, on Long Wharf, during 
the temporary absence of the latter, and had started in a boat to cross the bay with it. Some 
boatmen had seen him carry it on his back in a large sack, and put it in his boat. In a 
minute or two Mr. Virgin returned, missed the safe, and gave the alarm. " Yonder he goes," 
said the boatmen, pointing to Jenkins, who now had a good start. " Catch him," shouted 




EXIT OF JOHK JEJfKIJ^S. 139 

.Virgin, "lie 's got my safe." Out they went; Jenkins pulled for clear life, but the boatmen 
were more at home at that game, and gained rapidly. Seeing that he would be caught, 
Jenkins threw the safe overboard ; but the water was not deep (the city has been built out 
over the spot long ago); a boatman stuck an oar in the soft bottom to mark the place, and the 
three boats closed swiftly around their prey. The safe, too, was soon taken ashore. Sam 
said that counsel had been furnished the prisoner ; that he had had a fair trial, and had been 
found guilty of this and other more serious crimes ; and that he had been given a glass of 
brandy and a cigar, the only things he asked for. For ten minutes the speaker raked courts 
and people right and left, with heavy broadsides of mingled execration and exhortation, and 
then several committeemen came down stairs from the room of the trial, and cleared a space 
in front. The culprit followed, his arms tied behind, and each held by a Vigilant. He was 
smoking, and his hat, which of course he could not control, was tilted back, giving him an air 
•of impudent bravado and indifference. Revolver in hand, Bluxome told Jenkins : " In any 
attempt which may be made to take you out of our hands, at the first movement you make to 
escape, you die. That is my part of this night's programme." " Yes, sir ! " said fiery George 
R. Ward, " if the police attempt to seize you, sir, we will blow your head off, sir! " As they 
stepped upon the ground, a spliced rope was thrown over their heads, long enough for twenty 
men to get hold of, in front, on each side, and behind, and the march commenced for the 
Plaza. As soon as Brannan had announced that the man was to be han2:ed from a high beam 
of the veranda, on the south end of the adobe custom-house, most of the crowd started for 
that place, but we kept just ahead of the committee. 

We had got about halfway across the square, when there was a tremendous rush of officers 
and rowdies to break the ranks and capture or free the prisoners. The cry was raised : " Keep 
your revolvers up ! " I pointed mine toward the zenith, and others did the same. When 
Jenkins, coolly smoking, was within fifty feet of the block through which the rope was rove, 
the fatal cord was passed quickly along over the heads of the committee, into the inner circle, 
and made fast around the prisoner's neck. Brannan cried : " Every lover of liberty and good 
order lay hold ! " A hundred hands seized the rope, and fifty men ran with it so quickly that 
I, who was just ahead of Jenkins, had all I could do to get out of the way, as he was swept 
along fully three rods, and then up, until his head touched the block — " block and becket," as 
sailors say when, in hoisting tackle, two blocks come together. With all the startling distinct- 
ness of one of Dore's pictures, although two score years have since rolled into night, the ter- 
rible scene comes before me as I write. Happily, death was speedy. As my memory serves 
me, this was i.oo o'clock A. M., June ii, although Bancroft says half-past two. We returned 
to our lodgings, but went up to the plaza again about daylight, when the authorities were just 
removing the body in an express wagon. 

This was the first capital punishment in a city that had witnessed 500 murders, and lesser 
■crimes innumerable. Without the above fulness of detail, suffice it to say that in other execu- 
tions, by the committee, similar scenes were enacted, but with less of violence, as a rule. 

June 18, the committee moved to the upper rooms of Bullitt, Patrick, & Dow's two buildings 
on Battery street, between California and Pine. July 2, two bold robberies were committed, 
and vigilants, looking for the perpetrators, caught a man who acted suspiciously, although 
innocent of these two crimes. But at headquarters, whither he was taken, all were impressed 
with his wonderful resemblance to the man awaiting execution at Marysville. Was he the 
real James Stuart.'' He said his name was Stephens, and told plausible stories. Completely 
baffled by the prisoner, the executive committee left the matter with the keen Stephen Payran, 
whom they soon made their president. Encouraging the man to talk, while he listened care- 



140 PIO^'EEES OF '49. 

fully, and noted tlie minutest inconsistency, Payian at length ended a searching cross-exam- 
ination by suddenly confronting the prisoner with three men who had been quietly sent for, 
who knew Stuart well. Taken completely by surprise, liis passions defied control, and he 
hissed : " Well, then, may the devil damn you all ; I am James Stuart ! Now do your 
worst ! " So, after all, Burdue was innocent, and was set at liberty. 

Cornered, Stuart made a confession that involved all the leading villains in the State, and 
the committee had the key to the situation; for this man was a prince of rascals, and was 
thoroughly posted. The California and the Monumental Engine Companies had offered the 
committee the use of their bells. July ii, 1851, the bell of the latter was sounded at 9 A. M., 
another solemn ceremony was enacted, and at 3 p. Ji. the soul of James Stuart had left the 
body, which still dangled from a derrick on Market street wharf. 

A busy month followed. Scores of lesser criminals were tried and "exported;" dangerous 
characters were sent back on the vessels that brought them ; and descriptions of suspected 
rogues were sent to other Vigilance Committees; $15,000 was raised by subscription, and 
used to complete the county jail, a work delayed long for lack of funds. August 11 the com- 
mittee got hold of Sam Whittaker, and soon after of Bob McKenzie, both implicated by 
Stuart's confession. Whittaker baffled even the astute Payran, but Gerritt W. Ryckman, who 
was the third president of the executive committee, played upon the prisoner's heart-strings 
until he said he must confess or burst. Both were convicted, and sentenced to be handed. 
At 3 A. M., August 20, Governor John McDougal, and Mayor C. J. Brenham roused Sheriff 
John C. Hays to serve a writ of habeas corpus, signed by Judge Myron Norton, commanding 
that Whittaker and McKenzie be brought into court. The Vigilants were off their guard, and 
the prisoners were lodged in jail, whence they were retaken, however, on the following Sun- 
day, and promptly hanged from two beams above the doors of the second story of the Com- 
mittee Building, on Battery street. 

Prominent among patients cured by Vigilance medicine, were T. Belcher Kav, port warden 
and scoundrel; James Burns, alias Jimmy-from-Town; James Ainsworth, alias Jimmy Round- 
head; Charles Duane, alias Dutch Charley; George Adams; Mrs. Hogan ; '• Dab;" Briggs, the 
"Sydney Duck;" Hamilton Taf t ; Ben Lewis; John (}off; Sam Gallagher; Hetherington; 
Harrison ; Ah Lo ; Ah Hone ; and scores of that ilk. Some were banished, and some handed 
over to the courts, now wonderfully active and efficient. Society seemed safe, law honest and 
powerful. Moving into less expensive quarters, over Middleton and Smiley's auction rooms, 
corner of Battery and Sacramento streets, the committee sold most of its effects at auction, 
paid its debts, arranged for meetings when needed, and, late in September, allowed the law to 
take its course in a purified city. 

But knavery is manifold, its manifestations multiform. The coarse rufiian of the Sydney 
convict stamp ceased to disturb society, but he only gave place to others of greater refinement, 
no less troublesome. Seeing that the majority of the people were inclined to neglect public 
affairs in the fierce race for wealth, unprincipled politicians adopted the boldest devices for 
gaining or holding power. Ostensibly to secure fair play, but really to overawe quiet citizens, 
bullies were made inspectors of elections ; and by mean* of stuffed ballot-boxes, with false 
bottoms and sides, the will of the people who did vote was set at naught. One inspector, 
Francis Murray, or "Yankee Sullivan," the prize-fighter, manipulated the box to suit his 
interest or prejudice, at one election counting in James P. Casey as supervisor, although the 
latter was not even a candidate. Taking from filty to eighty drinks daily, a man of powerful 
build, Sullivan was a terror, and he was but one of a class. Of course the politician must 
keep " solid " with the inspector, or become a private citizen ; so, when an inspector, or any of 



JAMES KIJfG OF WILLIAM. 141 

his numerous friends, in fact any one of his class, indulged in any little crime, all officedom 
rallied to his defence, and it soon became the regular thing for the nine guilty to escape in 
company with the one innocent. In the Court of Sessions sat Judge Edward McGowan, — 
a Pennsylvanian, who, as a member of the Assembly of his native State, had stabbed an 
editor, resigned, robbed the Chester County bank, and fled, — dispensing justice with a cigar 
in his mouth, his hat cocked on one side, and feet on a desk higher than his head. "McGowan 
was stout, in complexion ruddy, frail and delicate in his morality, and exceedingly consumptive 
about bar-rooms." Among his correspondence were found letters from the demi-monde, and 
some of a damaging nature from Alexander Wells, one of the Justices of the Supreme Court. 
It seemed as if the officials, from the highest to the lowest, were leagued with the worst 
elements of society, and the latter were daily growing bolder. 

In this condition of affairs, James, son of William King, and hence called James King of 
William, started the San Francisco BuHetin, Oci.S, 1855, and advocated public as well as 
private virtue and honesty. "The notorious politico-banking firm of Palmer, Cook & Co. 
-was then at the height of its power and of its apparent prosperity. This institution the 
Bulletin at once attacked, charging it with corruption, bribery, and financial unsoundness, 
exposing its secrets with such clearness and intimate knowledge of its affairs, as made men 
wonder how the editor obtained them. The battle was continued with unflinching persistency 
day after day, for many months, until the firm was ruined, and consequently harmless. 
Broderick, Billy Mulligan, Woolly Kearney, Casey, Cora, Yankee Sullivan, Martin Gallagher, 
Tom Cunningham, Ned McGowan, Charles Duane, and all that class of shoulder-striking, 
ballot-box stuffing politicians, together with gamblers, prostitutes, and pimps of every shade, 
rich and vulgar alike, but more particularly those who had made themselves conspicuous in 
public affairs, he tore in pieces with almost savage ferocity. Likewise he scattered thorns 
upon the bench of criminal judges, and made derelict officials drink gall." Nov. 17, 1855, 
Charles Cora, an Italian gambler, murdered in cold blood William H. Richardson, a United 
States marshal. Richardson's successor, appointed by the president at the request of Senator 
Weller, was McDuffie, the noted Marysville gambler, at whose tables Cora had served. After 
several months Cora was tried, the jury disagreed, and for four months the authorities did 
not work for a new trial. King alone expostulated, and in no measured terms, although 
threats were showered upon him. In his editorial of April 21, 1856, he says: "We were 
this morning told that bets have been taken that in thirty days both this gambler McDuffie 
and ourself will have a resting-place at the Lone Mountain Cemetery; and these bets are 
made by gamblers." Although King alone dared speak, he voiced the sentiment of the 
people. In conversation with a bright-eyed, smiling Mongolian, Ah Foy, a gentleman for 
whom he did washing expressed the opinion that one Ah Chung, lately arrested for the 
murder of Ah Li, his Celestial love, would be hanged. " Him no hang! " exclaimed Ah Foy, 
"him all same Melican man; he got $2,000! You sabe, no hab money, him hang; hab 
plenty money, no hang; all same Melican man." 

May 14, 1856, an editorial in the Bullelln alluded to the fact that James Casey had served 
two years in Sing Sing for robbery ; that night Casey shot King on a public street, near the 
■corner of Montgomery and Washington streets. As powder at a spark, the pent-up indigna- 
tion of the people exploded. For the first time in years, and but a few minutes after the fatal 
shot, the old bell sounded from Monumental Engine house. In less than five minutes build- 
ings were empty, streets crowded. Casey was taken by his official friends, first to the police 
station, then to the jail, where he was guarded by 300 armed men. Within twenty-four hours, 
the vigilance committee was organized, with William T. Coleman president, with all depart- 



142 pioj\''i:i:iiS OF '49. 

ments in working order, and 1,500 men training under arms. On May 18, nearly 3,000 armed 
men, with 20,000 citizens on the hills around, surrounded the jail, and took Casey and Cora to 
headquarters. The day before King was killed, John Nugent's paper, the Herald, was the 
best patronized in California, and had a monopoly of auctioneers' advertisements, a large busi- 
ness in San Francisco. The day after the murder, Mr. Nugent published an anti-vigilance 
editorial. The next day all this advertising was changed to the Alia, which holds it still; 
while the Herald's issue was reduced in size one half, and from that day it declined stead- 
ily, to its death a few years later. King died May 20. Casey and Cora, after a fair trial, were 
convicted. "At twenty-one minutes past one, (May 22, Thursday), the funeral cortege of Mr. 
King moves, and all the bells of the city toll their solemn requiem. At that moment the mili- 
tary present arms ; the signal is given, and James Casey and Charles Cora drop into eternity." 

" On Thursday morning at half-past ten the steamship Golden Age z.xx\v&6.yN\\.\\ 1,221 pas- 
sengers. In crossing the Isthmus these passengers had undergone the horrors of a serious 
railway accident, in which fifteen of their number had been killed and sixty wounded. Besides 
their own troubles, they could talk of late outrages committed there, in which others had 
severely suffered. Arrived at San Francisco, they found the city in a turmoil, public places 
closed, flags at half-mast, and houses draped in mourning. Scarcely had they time to deposit 
their luggage at the hotels, and step upon the streets, when the body of a murdered man, with 
its two-mile cortege, was passing by, and 2,000 angry citizens were there in arms, and two men 
swinging by the neck from two second-story windows. If those 1,221 regarded their enter- 
tainment during the voyage, and their reception on the shores of the Pacific, too tame for them, 
they were, indeed, hard to please." 

By King's editorial, April 21, the gamblers allowed him but thirty days on earth. He died 
within that time, and at the end of thirty-one slept on Lone Mountain. 

The committee of 1856 organized in the old Know-Nothing Hall, lo^yi Sacramento street, 
about half way between Sansome and Montgomery. May 17 they moved to Truett Brothers' 
old appraiser's shop, and soon occupied about all the square bounded by Sacramento, Cali- 
fornia, Davis, and Front streets, which latter headquarters was called Fort Gunnybags, being 
protected on one side by a breastwork of gunnybags filled with sand. 

May 31, Yankee Sullivan committed suicide in his cell. 

Even Shakespeare would have been satisfied with the "very tempest and whirlwind of 
passion " exhibited at this time by the actors on the "law and disorder," or "law and murder" 
stage of California politics. The details were now received of how, on the 7th of May, Philip 
T. Herbert, representing the State in Congress, had become grossly intoxicated, and lost 
heavily at the gaming table; how he had called for breakfast at Willard's Hotel the next 
morning at eleven o'clock ; how the waiter had furnished all he could at that hour without 
an order from the office ; how Herbert had fired a pistol, held at the breast of the waiter, 
Thomas Keating, who died in five minutes ; how United States Senator John B. Weller asked 
Herbert's release, on the ground of his position as representative of a sovereign State ; and 
how the leading witness refusing to testify, the first jury disagreed, and the second acquitted. 

Chief Justice Hugh J. Murray, friend of the notorious Ned McGowan, was bitterly hostile 
to the Committee, but " the better part of valor " kept him measurably silent, or at least taught 
him the propriety of keeping at a reasonable distance. Bolder and more aggressive, his 
associate, David S. Terry, left his bench and duties at Sacramento, went down to San 
Francisco, and issued a writ of habeas corpus for Billy Mulligan, who was spirited away by 
the Committee. The officer made return that service had been resisted by a body of 
armed men. Governor J. Neely Johnson proclaimed the city in a state of insurrection, ordered 



JIOPKIJVS STUBBED BY JUDGE TERRY. 143 

all the militia in the county to report at once to Gen. W. T. Sherman, then a State officer, 
and all other forces in the State to prepare for immediate service. He asked aid of Gen. 
John E. Wool, commanding the Pacific Division, U. S. A., and of Captain David G. Farragut,. 
in command at the Mare Island navy-yard. Both officers had sense enough to mind their own 
business, unless ordered to act by their superiors in office. Johnson next sought help from 
President Franklin Pierce, at Washington; but, on the eve of a presidential election, the 
latter politely declined to interfere. 

Though baffled at every point, the law and order party could not rest ; with the exception 
of Broderick and his friends, they were strong pro-slavery men, and they could make but 
little lieadway in their political schemes so long as this non-partisan and incorruptible com- 
mittee held sway. Under constant pressure, the naturally weak and vacillating Johnson 
began to collect arms, which the Vigilants as promptly seized, to prevent bloodshed. Exas- 
perated, Terry again came to the city of the Golden Gate, and went about the streets loudly 
denouncing the Committee, and seeking to precipitate a collision. 

James Reuben Maloney and John G. Phillips, two notorious scoundrels, had been taken 
with one shipment of arms ; but, as they did not resist, were freed. They at once went from 
saloon to saloon, cursing all vigilants, and swearing they would shoot certain ones at sight. 
To teach these doughty knights of blood and thunder a lesson much needed, Sterling A. Hop- 
kins was ordered to bring them to headquarters. He found them with United States Naval 
Agent Richard P. Ashe, Terry, and several others. Arrest was resisted, but Hopkins was so 
persistent that Maloney and Phillips slowly retreated towards the armory of the Blues, corner 
of Jackson and Dupont streets, Terry and Ashe espousing their cause. Hopkins tried to 
crowd by Terry to get his man, when the judge drove a knife six inches into his neck, and all 
the pursued took refuge in the armory, — two vigilants, James Bovee and D. W. Barry also 
crowding in. Word flew to headquarters ; the ominous alarm sounded three taps, rest, and 
repeat; and soon thousands of armed committee men filled the streets. Maloney, Ashe, and 
Terry occupied separate cells that night at Fort Gunnybags. Ashe was soon released. 

United States sloop-of-war_/^//« Adavis, which had lain at anchor at Saucelito, took a sta- 
tion at the foot of Sacramento street, where her commander, E. B. Boutwell, now began to 
bluster, making no secret of the enjoyment it would give him to fire upon the city; but a few 
words of gentle firmness from Farragut induced respectful silence from all on the Adams. 

If Hopkins died, Terry would be hanged. A friend of the latter offered the vigilance physi- 
cian, R. B. Cole, $10,000 to save the wounded man's life; while other friends banded to kill 
Cole if Hopkins died. Hopkins lay long at death's door, but recovered. Terry was tried, 
found guilty of the assault, and set free. Loud was the denunciation of the committee ; but 
time, " corrector where our judgments err," has long since shown the wisdom of their decision. 
They hanged only for murder, and banished for lesser crimes. Terry could not be executed,, 
and it would have required the people to continue organized and armed as long as they hoped 
to keep so determined and reckless a man in exile ; and they wished to disband. Moreover, 
who could say that he might not be returned by Federal authority? 

July 24, Joseph Hetherington killed Dr. Andrew Randall in cold blood, for debt, and was 
taken, about the time of the capture of Philander Brace, who robbed Willet Southwick in 1855; 
robbed and shot a Mr. Scharff, and killed Joseph B. West, June 1855. They were launched 
into eternity at six o'clock on the afternoon of July 29, from a gallows on Davis street, between 
Sacramento and Commercial. 

With 5,500 men under arms, with more than 6,000 members, and the support of nine-tenths 
of the people, the committee decided to adjourn on August 18, as they would have done long; 



144 • PIOKEEBS OF '49. 

before, had not the course adopted by Johnson, Terry, and others compelled them to remain 
together. That day they made a final parade, 6,000 vigilants and tens of thousands of citizens, 
filling the streets. Eleven weeks later an idea had worked its way into Governor Johnson's 
cranium, and he cautiously withdrew his proclamation. 

The influence of the Vigilance work of 1 851, although direct, was evanescent; that of the 
movement of 1856 was deep and lasting. No extra legal aid has been needed in the city 
since, except during the conflict between capital and labor in 1877-S, when rioters attacked 
the Chinese, and defied the police, and the power of the latter was maintained by ^'igilant aid, 
commanded by the old leader, William T. Coleman. Several persons were killed, but the 
affair was not endorsed by the labor party, and even Denis Kearney, the Irish drayman and 
sand-lot orator, had sense enough to vent his pugnacity by harmless threats, made mostiv for 
effect. 

H. H. Bancroft, from whose masterly "Popular Tribunals," and from pamphlets published 
at the time 1 have quoted above, gives, among other results of vigilance, the substance of the 
following: "Each committee hanged four men, and banished about thirty, mostly Sydney 
convicts, in 1851, and Irish and other foreigners of low origin, in 1856. There were many vol- 
untary departures in 1851, and it is estimated that in 1856, 800 of the worst characters a com- 
munity was ever cursed with, sought safety in other places. The Vigilance Committee of 1856 
put a stop to open street murder, to unblushing corruption in courts, to ballot box stuffing, and 
election frauds, and to divers immoralities in their various nooks and phases. It lifted down- 
trodden virtue, and made right respectable." San Francisco had been run into debt forty 
times the amount allowed by the constitution. Note the financial reform: "The city and 
county expenses were in 1854, $1,831,825 ; in 1855, $2,646,180 : in 1856, $856,120 : in 1857, 
$353,292; in 1858, $366,427; in 1859, $480,895; in i860, $706,719; in ,1861, $512,896. Prison- 
ers and police in 1855 cost $236,690, and this was mostly expended in maintaining and liber- 
ating criminals. In 1858, when the number punished was ten times greater than during the 
year before mentioned, the expenses were $59,943. For advertising and stationery the city 
paid in 1855, $65,231 ; and in 1858, $2,727; assessment expenses in 1855, $45,01 1 ; in 1858, 
$9,100; election expenses in 1855, $22,920; in 1858 they were nothing, and so on. And this 
Avhile from one fifth to one third of the city's revenue went to the satisfaction of old claims 
contracted during the swindling epoch." 

About a month after the parade and disbanding, Herbert ventured to the city ; but he was 
at once handed a petition, signed by 2,000 citizens, asking him to leave California. He stood 
not upon the order of his going, but went at once. A fortnight later the widow of his victim 
di^d, brokenhearted. 

Strange, that the Vigilance leaders, especially of 1856, lived such exemplary liv^es, and are 
held in such universal honor and esteem ; while, almost in exact proportion to the prominence 
of a man in the law and order party, has proved the darkness of his subsequent fate 

" What has become of your Vigilance Committee ? " asked a stranger of a citizen of San 
Francisco, as late as 1859. 

" Toll the bell, sir, and you will see," was the reply. 



LELAJYD STAFFORD JR., UNIVERSITY. 145 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE LELAND STANFORD, JR., UNIVERSITY. 

So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. 

— Psalm xc: 12. 

SATURDAY morning, at nine o'clock, the party started southward by the Coast division 
of the S. P. R. R., passing through Millbrae, San Mateo, and Belmont, where are the 
beautiful country seats of some of California's wealthiest railroad and mining magnates, and 
stopping, by invitation of Senator Stanford, at Menlo Park. Here were 500 blooded horses, 
on a ranch of 800 acres, with everything in the best of order, and a fine track for exercise and 
training. He also has 800 as fine horses as the country can boast on another tract of about 
1,000 acres. From Menlo Park the party went on to Mayfield, where the train was in waiting, 
passing and looking over the grounds of the Leland Stanford Junior University, whose story- 
is so remarkable that I give its substance. 

The act by which Senator Stanford so grandly endowed the Palo Alto Institute of Learning 
will, in the years to come, rank as one of the great events in the history of the State of Cali- 
fornia, and, for that matter, the United States. Since the death of his only child, Leland 
Stanford Jr., it has been the sole aim of the senator's life to found an institution of learning in 
this State, which should be equal to all, and, if possible, excel the best colleges in the world. 
To this end he draughted and secured the enactment of a law for the protection of all endow- 
ments that may be made in the future for educational institutions in Calfornia. Since that 
time his attention has been largely paid to the perfection of his plans for the founding of the 
great educational centre. By the deed of trust, which he placed in the hands of the trustees 
of the institute, he conveys for the lasting benefit of the institution 83,200 acres of land, com- 
prising the most valuable estates in California, the products of which will go toward the fulfil- 
ment of his wishes. And, at the same time, to guard against any possibility of failure of the 
plan by death or other unexpected events, Senator and Mrs. Stanford have made their wills 
by which they provide for further vast endowments of the institution, which, it is said, will 
afford a greater income than can ever be utilized. This, however, is but a temporary expe- 
dient for the purpose of safety, for they hope to be able to put their property in such a shape 
that the whole endowment can be turned over to the trustees during their lives, and that they 
may live to devote their whole time and attention to the completion and realization of their 
great project. 

There will be no branch of the arts, sciences, or mechanics, that will not be taught in Palo 
Alto, and, to these educational advantages, male and female will be equally entitled. The 
institution, by the munificent salaries it will be able to pay, will draw to its force of educators 
the most famous and talented professors on tlie globe ; and the splendid climate of the sec- 
tion of the country in which Palo Alto is situated, will, in no small degree, tend to induce the 
great professors of the East and Europe to accept chairs in its departments. The youth of 
California, and America as well, can now look forward to the time in the near future, when the 



"1-46 TIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 

doors of a free institution will be thrown open to them, wherein the highest standard of excel- 
lence in technical learning known to our civilization may be attained. The departments will 
include a college of medicine, which it will be the aim of Senator Stanford to make the great- 
est in this country ; and to the conduct of which, if possible, will be called such men as Jenner, 
of London, and Brown-Sequard, of Paris, the lectures of whom the best physicians of America 
may attend with profit. There will be a college of law, presided over by the ablest masters of 
the law to be obtained ; a department wherein will be taught all the sciences and higher math- 
ematics; a school of arts, in which, under the ablest professors, — such as now draw students 
from all parts of the civilized world to Munich, — thorough instruction will be given in paint- 
ing, sculpture, drawing, design, etc. 

A grand conservatory of music, under the direction of the most famous masters of Italy and 
Europe, which will afford the best musical education to be had in the world, will be one of the 
particular features of this institute of technics. There will also be a school of mechanics, 
which will turn out all grades in this class, from the common artisan to the scientific civil engi- 
neer and master machinist, and include instruction in all grades of scientific draughtine: and 
ai chitecture. One of the important branches of the institution will be a school of agriculture, 
to which will be attached a farm, the soil and climate of which will produce any of the agricul- 
tural or horticultural products of the temperate or semi-tropic zones. Among the valuable 
adjuncts of the institution are to be a splendid museum and libraries, containing the bestworks 
pertaining to the various departments of learning. And this is not all. When the time comes, 
as it eventually will, that Palo Alto becomes an educational centre, around which will be built 
a town, the intention of Senator Stanford is to erect buildings for preparatory schools, in order 
that people residing there may have facilities for educating their younger children up to the 
standard at which pupils will be admitted to the higher courses. 

The deed of trust carefully provides against expenditure of money on buildings that may be 
useless as universities, the projector believing that the faculty is the element to be most con- 
sidered. Senator Stanford's idea is to have the buildings erected in the form of a parallel- 
ogram, and it is intended that two colleges shall be built at first — one for males and the other 
for females. 

The great estate of Palo Alto, with its magnificent distances, beautiful scenery, fruitful soil, 
rich productive powers, and excellent location, forms one of the finest private properties in 
the United States. Unlike other large ranches in the State, it is not composed of a Spanish 
grant, but is the result of the consolidation of several farms into one, it being only recently that 
Senator Stanford bought a large property adjoining Palo Alto, and added it to the estate. With 
the exception of a few acres, the ranch lies wholly west of the Southern Pacific Railroad, a 
portion of it adjoining Menlo Park station, twenty miles from the city. On the eastern side 
runs the county highway from San Jose to San Francisco, and midway, east and west, that of 
Searsville and Mayfield. The first purchase was made in 1876, from Mr. Gordon; consisting 
of 800 acres. Since that time the following ranches have been acquired: Hoog, 800 acres; 
Martin, 982; Dixon, 1,700; Coutts, 1,400; Lieb, 1,200; scattering, 318 ; making a total of 
7,200 acres. The soil consists of sandy loam, clay-loam, and adobe. A large portion of the 
land, at the present time, is used for pasture; but farming is carried on, upon a large scale, 
under the direction of an able superintendent. This fine domain has an area of about eight 
miles north and south, and six miles northeast by southwest. It is divided into four depart- 
ments, known as the trotting horse department, the running horse department, the farming 
department, and the house and grounds department; the latter embracing the park, vineyards,, 
and reservoir, the old vineyard containing forty acres, and the young one sixty acres. 



STAJ^FOBD UNIVERSITY RAiMCHES. 147 

It was Mr. Stanford's intention to have the park of 299 acres, at the entrance to Palo Alto, 
contain every known species of tree that would grow in this climate, thousands of trees being 
added yearly to the large collection. On the Martin farm of 982 acres a reservoir, covering 
over 200 acres, is to be built, to hold the waters of the San Francisquito to the extent of 
225,000,000 gallons, and irrigate every part of the ranch exxept the foot-hills. A reservoir 
has already been built on the Mezes property, holding 125,000,000 gallons. A smaller 
reservoir holds 35,000,000 gallons, and an artesian well will furnish 5,000 gallons per hour. 

For the conduct of this great estate one hundred and fifty persons are employed, at salaries 
ranging from $30 to $250 per month, of which number one hundred and four are white and the 
rest Chinese. The employes are all boarded by their employer. Church services are con- 
ducted on the place, and Mrs. Stanford has established a school for boys and a kindergarten 
for girls in Menlo Park. To sum up, Palo Alto is the largest horse farm in the world, and 
although it was never managed for profit, could undoubtedly be made to yield a large income. 
The total expense of running the ranch is about $225,000 per year, of which amount $90,000 
is for wages. At the present time the actual income is about two-thirds of that amount, as 
follows: Vineyards, net, |io,ooo yearly; hay, 2,300 tons; oats, 260,000 pounds; barley, 
240,000 pounds ; wheat, 100,000 pounds ; and rye, 70,000 pounds. The product of the 2,500 
acres farmed in 1884 was $40,000. 

Palo Alto also has a fine mansion, and all the luxuries of a beautiful manor. 

The most valuable and productive of the three great ranches donated by Senator Stanford is 
the Vina Ranch, situated at the junction of Deer Creek with the Sacramento River, in 
Tehama county. It is a portion of an old Spanish grant made to Peder Lassen, a Swede, who 
settled upon it long before the discovery of gold in the State. Later it passed into the pos- 
session of a German named Gerke, who for many years made from its vineyard a brand of 
hock that was famous in the San Francisco markets. In 1881 the old man died, and Senator 
Stanford ^Durchased the grant, adding to it other pieces of land, until he secured 55,000 acres, 
at a cost of $1,000,000. The old vineyard was "played out," the fences down, houses dilapi- 
dated, and there was no provision for irrigation. 

In 1SS2, Senator Stanford ordered 1,000 acres set out to vineyard, and 800,000 cuttings were 
planted, comprising the finest varieties of wine, raisin, and table grapes, the first named pre- 
dominating. On many acres of this estate four crops of alfalfa are cut and stored yearly, in 
addition to the pasturage afforded during the winter. 

The source of water supply is Deer Creek, which was tapped two and a half miles northeast 
of Vina, where two massive floodgates were constructed — one of wood, and the other of 
granite laid in cement. The great central ditch has a grade of four feet to the mile, and a 
capacity of 80,000 gallons per minute, or 7,300 miners' inches. Two miles from its head a 
fifteen-foot branch ditch begins, and runs past the vineyard, supplying the northern portioa 
with water. This branch is sub-divided into ten smaller ditches, nine of which run throuo-h 
the vineyard, and are controlled by a system of floodgates, which give uniform irrigation to 
every foot of the vineyard. 

The tenth prong passes on through the vineyard a distance of two miles, where it is subdi- 
vided into twenty smaller ditches for the irrigation of a five-hundred-acre field of alfalfa, each 
ditch, even at this distance of five miles from Deer Creek, being nine feet wide, and runnino- 
full in the dryest season. After supplying the northern fork, the main ditch runs for a mile 
into a twenty-foot bottom, with a slope of one and one-half to one, and then alono- the line of 
the railroad for over four miles, with a thirty-foot bottom, and with a grade of two feet to the 
mile. From this, nineteen six-foot ditches branch out, and are carried through the new por- 



148 



FIOKEERS OF '49. 



tions of the vineyard. Opposite the head of the main ditch, a third ditch, with a twelve-foot 
bottom, runs for two miles to a six-hundred-acre alfalfa field, which it intersects with a series 
of cross ditches, making altogether a system of fifty-five miles of ditches, capable of irrigating 




— ^t.rfSiteat^ i.^ g'"'^''' ' 



THE STANFORD VINEYARD. 



12,000 acres. The water rights of the Vina ranch are secure for all time, thanks to the fore- 
sight of its owner, who secured the land along Deer Creek, which commands them, thus add- 
ing, with the irrigating system, fully a half million dollars to the value of the estate. 

The Gridley Ranch, the third of Senator Stanford's magnificent gifts, one of California's 



STAMFORD UNIVERSITY. 149 

great wheat farms, in Butte county, comprises from 19,000 to 21,000 acres of as rich wheat 
land as can be found in the wheat producing sections of the State. An average yield of forty- 
five bushels per acre is not unusual. At the present time this vast tract of land, all suitable 
for cultivation, is used only for the raising of grain, and whether it can be profitably utilized 
for other purposes, when cut up into small farms, remains to be seen. It is a princely gift, 
worthy of the donor, and stands assessed this year at $1,000,000. 

At a meeting at which nineteen of the twenty-four trustees of the institution were present 
early in 1891, Dr. H. W. Harkness gave this account of the progress of the work of 
construction : — 

" The buildings surrounding the large court, which are to be devoted mainly to class and 
lecture rooms, are roofed and ready for the interior finishing. They are not plastered or 
painted, and the permanent floors are not laid. The main plumbing is completed, but no inte- 
rior connections are made. The great court, which is about 700 feet square, is being carefully 
and expensively paved with asphaltum. The corridors surrounding the court are beautifully- 
paved with cement in two colors. Spaces for flowers, etc., are left in the pavement of the 
court, which also will be ornamented with statuary. 

" A dormitory for boys capable of accommodating 350 is finished to the same extent as the 
buildings mentioned. The foundation for a similar dormitory for girls is being laid. An 
engine-house and a storehouse are finished, and large water pipes are being laid between the 
buildings. 

" Work has just been commenced on a large museum building, which is designed similar 
to the new Government museum at Athens. It will be 312 feet in length, and two wings 100 
feet long are also planned for the future. The amount of money already expended amounts to 
nearly $900,000. An immense number of young trees, to be set out over the estate for two or 
three miles westward, are being cultivated. The present buildings will meet the wants of the 
university for many years to come. The additional buildings to be erected will be the resi- 
dences for the faculty, which will be begun early next spring or summer. The trustees were 
all delighted at what they saw and at the bright prospects for the future of the institution." 

Kate Field writes thus appreciatively of the work January, 1891 : — 

" What a wonderful institution will be dedicated next October at Palo Alto ! And what a 
blessing to art that Senator and Mrs. Stanford have selected an architecture which covers the 
ground instead of trying to scale the heavens! Mrs. Stanford's museum will be two stories 
high, with never a bit of wood in it, with beams and window-frames of steel, and walls of con- 
crete. This is as it should be. The Stanfords build their university, not for a day, but for all 
time. Earthquakes may destroy, but not fire." 

The Exatnifter oi'St'pt. 10, 1890, contained this editorial: — 

" The Stanford University, it seems, is to be opened for students next year. That news is 
gratifying enough in itself, and the gratification is increased by the discovery that Senator 
Stanford intends to make the opening ceremonies a national event. He proposes to load a 
special train with President Harrison, Secretary Blaine, and three other members of the Cab- 
inet, with their families ; twenty prominent senators and representatives, and the presidents of 
most of the principal Eastern colleges. This cargo of learning and distinction is to be hauled 
out to California, and entertained here for the space of six or seven weeks. 

" This will make the most brilliant excursion that has ever been known in the United States. 
It will surpass even the tour of the Pan-American Congress. 

" The future historian of the Pacific Coast will assign toLeland Stanford a prominent place 
in the stirring events accompanying the wonderful growth and development of California. As 



150 FIOJfEFJRS OF '49. 

the master s irit of that great work, the Central Pacific Railroad, had he done nothing further 
to entitle him to the gratitude of the people, his name would have gone down to posterity as a 
public benefactor ; but when we consider what he has done, and proposes to do, in the cause of 
education, the character of the man assumes a grandeur which challenges universal admiration." 
Leland Stanford was born in Albany county, N. Y., on the 9th day of March, 1824. The 
alternation of work upon the homestead farm, with study at a neighboring school, after the 
manner of the sons of intelligent and thrifty farmers in those days, contributed to give him that 
well-balanced mind, keen perception, and perfect equipoise of faculties for which he has ever 
been distinguished. Endowed by nature with a powerful physical organization, he was, in 
youth, somewhat impatient of purely scholastic methods, which imposed too much indoor con- 
straint upon a mind linked to a body full of vigorous life, which demanded a large degree of 
freedom and exercise in tlie open air. But this very impatience of confinement threw wide 
open to him the book of nature, laid the foundation for an enthusiastic love of the natural 
sciences, and made him a keen and discriminating observer of material things ; a kind of edu- 
cation well adapted to fit him for the great enterprises and the high and responsible trusts in 
which he has distinguished himself. At twenty years of age, with such education as he liad 
gathered by this somewhat desultory method, he determined upon the study of the law, and 
entered the office of Messrs. Wheaton, Doolittle & Hadley, an eminent law firm, in the City of 
Albany, in the year 1845. Having completed his studies, and been admitted to the bar, he 
resolved to seek in the West, a field for his future professional labors, and finally settled at 
Port Washington, Wis., in 1848. Two years afterward he returned to Albany, and was tliere 
married to a most estimable young lady, Miss Jane Lathrop, daughter of Dyer Lathrop, a mer- 
chant, and one of the most respected citizens of Albany. His professional career, in his Wis- 
consin home, was of brief duration. While practising law at Port Washington, a circumstance 
transpired which some will regard as providential, giving an entirely new direction to his 
thoughts and energies. A fire occurred which destroyed his law library and swept away nearly 
all his worldly possessions. The loss was severe, and to one possessing less self-reliance 
would have been disheartening. It served, however, its purjDose ; and the result was a deter- 
mination to join his brothers, who had already emigrated to California. He reached this State 
on the I2th day of July, 1852, and found his brothers engaged in mining and trade. Without 
any j)ractical knowledge of either of these occupations, Mr. Stanford determined for the time 
to abandon the practice of the law and engage in business with his brothers. After prospect- 
ing at various points, he finally settled at Michigan Bluff, in the famous mining county of 
Placer, where he remained nearly four years, conducting, in a very successful manner, the 
business in which he was engaged, and making a host of friends among the hardy pioneers 
and miners who were his principal patrons. In 1S56 he removed to Sacramento, and, as a 
partner, became actively engaged in the mercantile house established by his brothers, whose 
business had grown to large proportions, they being extensively engaged in importing, and 
having branch houses scattered through the State. The magnitude of the firm's transactions, 
the multifarious knowledge demanded, and the natural aptitude of Mr. Stanford's mind for the 
administration of affairs of importance, all combined to develop and enlarge those extraor- 
dinary powers of observation and generalization which were subsequently displayed in the 
execution of the gigantic railway projects which he undertook and carried through with such 
energy and success. At the breaking out of the civil war, Mr. Stanford was a most pronounced 
friend of the Union. He was chosen a delegate to the Chicago Convention in i860, and voted 
for Abraham Lincoln, as the Republican candidate for the presidency. The acquaintance 
which he there made with Mr. Lincoln, ripened into intimacy and confidence ; and Mr. Stan- 




^do.t^c>[r^!Uo^i^c^ 



STAJYFOBD imiVEBSITY. 151 

ford spent many weeks at Washington, after the inauguration, and became the trusted adviser 
of the President and his Cabinet, in regard to the appointments for the Pacific Coast. Mr. 
Lincohi and Mr. Seward regarded him as the ablest and most rehable friend of the Govern- 
ment in California. In 1861 he was elected governor by a plurality of 23,000 votes, opposing 
a party never defeated before. He became the most popular governor that California had ever 
had. 

On Feb. 22, i86r, he threw out the first shovelful of dirt on the Central Pacific Railroad ; and 
on May 10, 1869, when the Central and the Union Pacific met at Promontory, Utah, 830 miles 
from San Francisco, 1,084 niiles from Omaha, 4,905 feet above the sea, he held a sledge ham- 
mer of solid silver to whose handle were fastened wires affording telegraphic communication 
with the principal cities of the United States. Telegraphic business was suspended for the 
time far and wide. The last tie, a masterpiece of California laurel with silver plates appro- 
priately inscribed, was-put in place, and the last rails laid by the two companies. The last 
spikes were handed him, one of gold from his State, one of silver from Nevada, and one of 
iron, gold, and silver from Arizona. At the first stroke of noon he struck the gold spike, 
loosing the lightning which told the nation that East and West were united. 

In his present position of United States Senator he has shown himself a man of influence 
and power. 

Including the Palo Alto estate, it is said that his endowment of the great university which 
bears the name of his lamented son, and whose corner-stone was laid on the nineteenth anni- 
versary of the birth of that son, will amount to $25,000,000. 

In the summer of 1888, Mrs. Ball and I traveled in Italy with a party under the care of Sig- 
nor Otto Rizzi of Florence, who had served as courier for Mr. Stanford and his family on the 
tour when Leland Stanford, Jr., died. Signor Rizzi said that, during his long career as a 
courier, he had conducted many of the rulers and prominent people of Europe, and many emi- 
nent men and women from other lands ; but that he had never met another man apparently so 
royal by nature, so thoughtful of the 'welfare of others, so generous not only in his use of 
money, but also in his estimate of the character of other men and their motives, yet withal so 
dignified, as this uncrowned western king. 

One of the most beautiful places in California is Belmont, which contains some palatial 
homes, and where formerly lived William C. Ralston, of whom Rev. S. T. Livermore says: 
"When last I saw him, he was in his bank, about the close of business hours. With a mas- 
sive, commanding figure, he stood like a statue, glancing with eagle eye over the doings of his 
subordinates, and listening to their various reports of the day's doings, which he carried in his 
mind as the basis of future proceedings. Under him, in the basement, were millions of gold 
in bars, in his vaults were millions more from depositors, and on the floor where I stood were 
still other millions in strong boxes, about a foot square, minted for Japan. He was daily 
handling more gold than any other man in the world. 

"His rules of business and pleasure were almost tyrannical with strictness. He and his sub- 
ordinates all moved like the old Swiss clock at Berne, whose wheels are all on time, and whose 
bears march, and whose cock crows at the minute appointed. At the moment his banking 
hours closed, his open carriage accommodating eight persons, with four blooded horses champ- 
ing their bits, stood in front of the bank for him, and his invited guests, of whom if one were 
a minute late, he was left, as Mr. Ralston grasped the reins, and all went rapidly to his man- 
sion thirty miles away. With relays every ten miles, the distance was accomplished in three 
hours. All were notified of the moment of departure for the next morning, and not one minute 
of delay would he allow for any one, and at the minute for his appearance at the bank he was 



152 FIOJfEERS OF '49. 

there. Once, as the minute arrived for starting, a lady asked him to wait until she could get 
her shawl. ' No,' said he, 'throw this overcoat over your shoulders,' which she did. 

" Once Mr. Ralston, bound with a party of friends for Calistoga Springs, arrived at midnight at 
the headquarters of Stagedriver Foss (who also had a reputation for promptness), and ordered a 
stage to be ready at one. The stage with four horses was on hand, and at one minute before 
the appointed time Foss shouted, 'AH aboard!' 'But wait,' said Ralston, 'until we finish 
our lunch.' ' My whip cracks, and my horses start at the minute appointed, and if you're not 
in, the stage goes empty.' All were aboard as the whip cracked. He worked his passage to 
San Francisco about 1849." 

He was connected with many of the leading enterprises of the West, and, at one time, was 
called the " King of the Comstock." His liberality was so great that he is still remembered 
and mentioned by the common people of San Francisco as the most generous man in many 
respects that city has known. But he speculated largely and unsuccessfully, using the bank's 
money to make good his losses, and concealing the consequent deficiency by exhibiting to the 
inspectors the gold of depositors. It became a matter of common rumor, although it was 
whispered only, that his fortune was unstable. Bancroft says this depressed Comstock 
$100,000,000 — over $42,000,000 in a single week. One day James C. Flood called for $6,ooo,ooa 
at the bank, and this precipitated the crash. Ralston was said to be short $5,000,000. He 
turned his entire property over to the bank, and friends of the institution promptly advanced 
funds, thus avoiding the threatened disaster. But men had questioned Ralston's honesty, 
which stung him to the quick. He was found drowned at Long Beach, outside the Golden 
Gate. If anyone wishes to realize fully what Shakespeare meant by "the bubble reputation," 
let him go into any of our largest libraries, and see how difficult it is to find even a meagre 
account of the private life or public career of a man, who, only some fifteen or twenty years 
ago, was one of the most widely-known business men of the West. 




HISTORY OF MONTEREY. 153^ 



CHAPTER XVII. 

MONTEREY AND SAN JOSE. 

"The waves come crowding up on the shore like nymphs in silv'ry green; 
Forward in line they trip to the time of orchestras unseen. 
They sport, and leap, by the rocky point, sparkling in gems and gold ; 
Murmurmg ever a liquid strain, like siren songs of old. 
With snowy plumes, which wreathe and curl and toss in wanton glee, 
Their riotous dance brings to the heart the gladness of the sea! " 

WITH Messrs. Henry B. and Thomas Metcalf and the ladies of their families, Mrs. Ball 
and I went to the quaint old town of Monterey, where we remained until Sunday morn- 
ing, and were richly repaid for our visit. In 1602, Don Sebastian Vizcaino, instructed by 
Philip III. of Spain, entered the bay and took possession for the king, naming the place in 
honor of Caspar de Zumga, Count of Monterey, and Viceroy of Mexico. 

The first Indian baptism was at Monterey, Dec. 26, 1770. The converted Indians cultivated 
grain for the missions, and tended vast herds of cattle, horses, sheep, and hogs for them. 
"The first European lady to come to California," says Harrison, "was the wife of Governor 
Fages, who arrived in Monterey in 1783. Their child, born about 1784, was probably the first 
child born in California of European parents." There was a long list of Spanish governors ;. 
the population increased ; prosperity followed every effort. " In the year 1813, the twenty-one 
missions in Californiayielded annual revenues, aggregating $2,oco,oco. They had then reached 
the zenith of their prosperity; but in that year the first stroke of their death-knell was sounded,, 
when the Spanish Cortez, during the struggle for national independence that was then being 
waged on Mexican territory, ordered that the authority of the Franciscan friars in California 
be superseded by that of the secular clergy. With the downfall of Spanish power in Mexico, 
in 1822, came the last stroke of the knell, although the missions were not formally abolished 
and their property confiscated until 1845." Monterey was still the seat of government. Immi- 
grants poured in; the town grew and prospered. 

The quarrel between the United States and Mexico gave Commodore Jones, of the United 
States Navy, an excuse in 1842 to seize Monterey for his government. He entered the harbor, 
captured the fort, claimed the territory for the United States, and planted the stars and stripes; 
and the next day, when he discovered that his action was premature, he apologized to the Mex- 
ican authorities and retired. 

In 1846 John C. Fremont, leader of an expedition to the coast for the United States, had 
trouble with the Mexicans at Monterey, and withdrew. On the 7th of July, 1846, war having 
been declared between the United States and Mexico, Commodore Sloat took possession of 
Monterey in the name of the United States, to the delight of the inhabitants. San Francisco, 
Sonoma, and Sutter's Fort were captured soon after. Sloat was made military governor of 
California, and afterward Commodore Stockton, and then General Riley, who called a consti- 
tutional convention for Sept. i, 1849, ^^ nieet at Monterey. The constitution was framed and 



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THE HOTEL DEL MO.WTE. 155 

adopted; the State government was established at San Jose ; and on the 9th of September, 
1850, Cah'fornia was admitted into the Union. Monterey was a bustling city once; but, 
with the loss of the capital, its commercial, social, and political glory became but a 
memory. 

We stopped at the famous Hotel del Monte, whose main building is 340 feet in length and 
no feet in width. The end towers have an elevation of about 50 feet, and the central tower 
is about 80 feet high. The office or lobby is 42 feet wide and 48 feet long; the rear of the 
office opens into a spacious corridor extending the whole length of the building. The reading- 
room, 24 feet square; the ladies' billiard-room, 62 feet long and 31 feet wide; and the ladies' 
parlor, 40 by 35 feet, are near the office. The grand ballroom is 72 feet long and 33 feet wide. 
The dining-room, which extends back from the office corridor, is a noble apartment 162 feet 
long and 66 feet wide. Behind it is the kitchen, 50 feet long and 70 feet wide. There is 
ample room for 500 people to be seated in the dining-room. A passenger elevator and a 
baggage elevator are provided. There are also three staircases, one in the centre and one at 
each end of the building. The arcades, which extend in semi-circles from the rear corners 
of the main building, connecting with the annexes, are 125 feet long, 20 feet wide, and -three 
stories in height, to conform with the stories of the buildings they connect. Iron and glass 
are the materials of which these sections of the building are constructed, and the arcades 
furnish, not only convenient extension of the corridors in the different stories, but a bright, 
sunny series of promenading places. Each of the annexes is 2S0 feet long and 48 feet wide, 
both being of the same size and style. There are, in addition to the corridors approached 
through the arcades, central entrances and three stairways — one in the centre and one at 
■each end. The establishment contains nearly 500 rooms, and can comfortably accommodate 
750 people. 

Its garden covers one hundred and twenty-six acres, admittedly the most varied in the 
world. Laguna del Key (Lake of the King) covers some fifteen acres of this ground, and on 
its shore is a dainty casino, from whose porch the parties on exploration and pleasure bent 
leave usually for whole-day outings, while those content with staying in their forest and garden 
home wander through the tropical walks and drives, and bask in a sunlight Easterners know 
nothing of. In a shady ravine not many steps from the Hotel del Monte may be seen a won- 
derful illustration of the oak's tenacious clinging to life. Long before man trod this spot a 
majestic oak was felled by the wind, and lay as dead; but still it lived, and where there was a 
shattered trunk prone on the ground, now is a strange-looking miniature forest, for each 
branch from the trunk grew upward and became in itself a tree. 

The wonderful display of most of the rare and beautiful flowers of every country on the 
globe, which we saw in the grounds of the Hotel del Monte led me to seek fuller information 
in regard to flowers and their symbolism. I find nothing else so complete and suggestive in 
this connection as the following from Major Truman, which I venture to give, though rather 
long, because of the interest of the subject of which it treats : — 

" Flora, a renowned Roman goddess, was worshipped in magnificent pomp during and from 
the very earliest times. As the goddess of buds and flowers and Spring, her mythological 
achievements were perpetuated in a shaft or temple, which reared its colossal pile near the 
ruins of the citrus nmxivms. Her festive celebrations were annually what now answer to the 
last three days of the fourth month of our year, or the second of the ancient Romans. 

" Flora, in strictly Grecian legend, answers to one of the Horae, named Chloris, who became 
the faithful wife of Zephros, the genial west Spring wind — a rival lover of Boreas, the mytho- 
logical function of the rude blasts from the wintry north. 



156 FIOJVEEBS OF '49. 

" It is the general impression that Florida was so called after its profusion of flowers. This 
is a popular mistake. It was called Florida because Ponce de Leon, whose was the first foot 
placed upon its territory, landed at St. Augustine, in 1513, on ' Pascua Florida' or Easter 
Sunday. It is stated, however, that Florida, which means florid or flowery, was the name 
given the territory aforesaid by Vasquez in 1520, on account of the delightful aspect of the 
country inland from that famous winter resort of wealthy valetudinarians — St. Augustine. It 
is a pretty name, and suggests floral munificence. 

"That the appellation of ' Flowery Kingdom,' as applied to China, means an abundance of 
flowers throughout that pagan land, is also an erroneous impression. The words ' Flowery 
Kingdom ' constitute a translation of the Chinese classical words //zaa Kwoh, a name 
bestowed upon China by its own inhabitants, and is intended to convey the idea that the 
Chinese nation is the most civilized, educated, and polished in the world. 

" It is only certain that one place in the world has been named after the flowers that grew 
in profusion thereon, and this beautiful thought was, no doubt, a piece of assurance on the 
part of some Portuguese who settled upon one of the Azores, in 1448, and who called their 
settlement " Flores," or Isle of Flowers. 

" Now, there is no distinct flowery kingdom on the face of the earth. The Roman goddess 
is omnipresent, and scatters her exquisite gifts in every latitude. True, plants, trees, grasses 
and flowers may be cultivated and grown more successfully in some parts of the world than 
others. And, right here, I claim California as the home of Flora. Almost everything that 
'grows in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth,' 'from Greenland's icy moun- 
tains to India's coral strand,' may be made to attain perfection on the western slope of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains ; while, in that garden spot of the State known as Los Angeles, and 
termed by tourists the Paradise of the Pacific Coast, almost all varieties of grass, shrub^ 
plant, tree, and flower are made to adorn and perfume that land the year round. 

"A love for beautiful and rare flowers is manifested in every inhabitable part of the globe. 
Even the savage betrays a reverence for his native flowers, and all modern and ancient lan- 
guages are full of eloquent passages where flowers are used as figures of speech to express a 
sense of beauty or loveliness. In every clime flowers are found, and in almost every clime 
they are cultivated in great variety, and abundance, even the snowy regions of Greenland pre- 
senting some interesting varieties, which blossom in the brief season of summer, vouchsafed ta 
the curious inhabitants of that sterile portion of the earth. Tropical vegetation is overloaded 
with magnificent flowers, many of which exhale delicious perfumes. Europe, Asia, Africa, 
and the antipodal islands, respectively, possess many distinct and interesting varieties. South 
America furnishes a number of rare specimens, and North America is no less rich in the 
abundance and variety of her floricultural treasures. 

" In all civilized countries the cultivation of flowers is a universal passion, the rich and the 
poor indulging in these luxuries according to their means, and their tastes. And there is no> 
State in the Union like California in this delightful respect. Almost every house, not com- 
mercially used in San Francisco, and other California cities, has its garden, while the charming 
city of Los Angeles seems one vast conservatory, which fills the air with fragrance from Janu- 
ary to December. 

"As before stated, all the countries of the world contribute their quota of floral beauties, the 
result being a most bewildering array of rare and magnificent specimens. Africa furnishes 
several stately plants of massive foliage and singular form. Europe contributes those vari- 
eties common to every garden, no matter how humble it may be. Asia is called on for notable 
productions of the floral kingdom. America, herself, does wonders in affording her quota. 



A RAMBLE WITH FLORA. 



157 



Most of the inhabitable islands known are represented in the collections of Flora. The god- 
dess of buds and flowers has rambled throughout the world, and her lap is full of its multi- 
farious offering's. 

"The Virginia creeper, hawthorn, magnolia, myrtle, winter berry, trumpet flower, and 
snowdrop, are all natives of the United States and North America. Canada gives us tlie 
arbor vitJE. China has furnished the world with a select variety, among which are the 
camellia, dahlia, wax tree, heliotrope, and many kinds of myrtle. The Cape of Good Hope 
gives us the arctopus, milkwort, giant, everlasting, and coral tree. The bay royal comes from 
Madeira; the bell flower from the Canary Islands; the tamarisk plant from Germany; the 




A BOUQUET OF BEAUTIES. 

carnation, gillyflower, and geranium from Flanders; the tuberose from Java; the mignonette 
and pink from Italy; the mock orange from the south of Europe ; the white and yellow jas- 
mine from Circassia and Catalonia; the passion flower from Brazil; while America, China, the 
Netherlands, Italy, England, and France contribute to the family of the rose ; the honeysuckle 
is a native of America, China, and the Cape of Good Hope — so it will be seen that the same 
species are gathered from different parts of the world, each country, however, affording a dis- 
tinct family. Thus, to continue, the columbine flower originally came from Liberia, Colorado, 
Kamtchatka, and British America; the sunflower is a native of California, Arizona, Mexico, 
South America, Great Britain, and the interior of Africa. There are many other examples, 
though these will serve as specimens, selected at random. In many instances, as will be 
noted above, a certain variety of flower can only be procured from a certain locality. It may 
not generally be known that Holland originally gave us seven kinds of hyacinths, three of tulips, 
thirty varieties of the gladiolus, seven of the narcissus, one crocus, and two of crown imperial. 



158 PIONEERS OF '49. 

" One of the peculiarities of our goddess may be illustrated thus : The fuchsia, much cul- 
tivated and trained in this country and Europe, is a detested wild plant (like our arteniisia of 
the Humboldt and other deserts), of New Zealand, where it annoys the farmer by its abundant 
and rapid growth. The calla lily, which grows in every California garden, is despised in 
Egypt, its native country. On the other hand, our yellow dock, a disagreeable weed, is much 
prized in England, where it is called the American velvet leaf plant. These instances might 
be multii)lied ad infinitum. 

"There are constant additions, as well as new importations, made annually, and esjiecially 
to the family of the rose. The Marechal Niel, a prodigious yellow rose, is a royal flower and 
a great addition. The Bouselin, a delicate pink rose, is a favorite for the button-hole and for 
the hair, and comes from Boston. The Roman hyacinths take the lead in the newly imported 
plants, while horticulturists are making great improvement in the cultivation of the bouvardia 
jasmine, olisviola, purpenia, plena and cerulea plena, smilax, lady's slipper, and double scarlet 
geraniums. 

" The largest flower in the world is the Victoria Regia, a native of the Amazon River, and 
which may now be found floating in hundreds of aquaria, included in which is the aquarium' 
at Golden Gate Park. The first one brought to perfection in the United States was the 
property of ex-Alayor Larz Anderson, of Cincinnati, about eighteen years ago. The next 
largest flower, or one of the largest (and also one of the most beautiful and fragrant), that 
s:rows, is the magnolia, a native of the Southern States. One of the smallest flowers culti- 
vated is a variety of English violet. The flower exhaling the most delightful aroma is, to my 
sense of smell, the orange blossom. But there is a peculiarity of taste (or smell, I may say) 
in this respect, and ranges among the pinks, tuberoses, violets, jasmines, honeysuckles, and 
heliotropes. The least odoriferous of all the flowers is the japonica — a cold, waxen beauty 
without a breath. 

" The wild flowers of California, Arizona, and Mexico are the most profuse in variet}-, the 
most gorgeous in colors, and the most prodigal in perfume in the world, north of the equinoc- 
tial line. During the months of April, May, and June the smiling valleys of California look 
like an interminable stretch of splendid carpeting, and are rich in all the magnificent colors of 
an Axminster. During the month of April there are hundreds of thousands of acres of wild 
flowers on each side of the Southern Pacific Railroad, in Merced, Fresno, Tulare, Kern, and 
Los Angeles counties. I doubt if there is a parallel picture in the world. A remarkable 
plant is the cactus, which has its home in Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Hum- 
boldt was almost speechless with wonder at the ' Cactus Giganteus,' which grows up in 
columns all over Arizona. There are said to be nearly 4,000 varieties of cacti, there being 
several hundred distinct kinds of that generally termed the prickly pear, or t2ini. 

" The symbolism, or language of flowers, is replete with poetical beauty, and is as old as 
poetry itself. The Greeks, in their graceful fancy, says some writer upon this subject, made 
the events of every-day life sentimentally blend with the beauty and poetry of the flower world, 
while the Romans, to some considerable degree, cultivated the language of flowers. England, 
Ireland, France, Africa, — poets, painters, religion, — all have been symbolized. In Greece, to this- 
day, palms greet the newly born ; laurel announces the illness of a friend ; garlands crown the 
bride, and a cypress is spread over the grave. In the Olympian games the victor was crowned 
with a wreath of wild olive leaves, while a garland of laurels was in waiting for the victor in 
the Pythian games. 

" Montesquieu says of the Romans : ' With one or two crowns of oak they conquered the 
world.' Is there a blacker history than England's War of the roses, the ' giant of battle,' and the 



A RAMBLE WITH FLORA. 159 

'cloth of gold?' Where are there so famous symbols as the violet of Napoleon, the lily of 
the Bourbons, the palmetto of our own impetuous Carolineans, and the 'wearing of the green?' 
Moses, Solomon, Jesus, Mahomet, Confucius, Shakespeare, Virgil, Horace, Milton, Dryden, 
Thomson, and all the celebrated bards, and law-givers of the world have left recorded traces 
of their flower language, which has given a tongue to every leaf and bud and blossom, while 
the traditions of the Catholic church assign a symbol flower to every saint and martyr. What 
symbol is there, unless it be the orange blossoms of a bride, so uns];eakably beautiful as the 
three-leafed lily, of France, which is the flower language of piety, justice, and charity? or the 
common clover, used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the Trinity, the three in one. Father, Son, 
and Holy Ghost? 

" One of the most astonishing of botanical discoveries ever made was that of the great Rus- 
sian botanist, Anthoskoff, who in 1S70, found in Siberia the beautiful snow-flower, the seeds 
of which he took to St. Petersburg, and which flowered in December, 1872, in the presence of 
the imperial family. The snow-flower is perfectly white, — leaves, stalk, and flower. It springs 
ui^ to the height of three feet in less than three days. It possesses only three snow-white leaves, 
and the flower buds, blooms, and fades in four and twenty hours. It is in the shape of a star, 
about four inches in diameter, and possesses petals of great length. It is faintly scented; but 
if touched with the warm hand, both it, the stalk on which it rests, and the leaves instantly 
change into pure snow. It would appear that it is a kind of snow fungus ; but it produces seeds 
which can be transplanted, and, when sown in the snow, they readily come to maturity and 
produce flowers. This exquisite plant has all the appearance of being composed of snow and 
ice, and grows abundantly in the sempiternal snows of Siberia. It is frequently mentioned in 
Tartar, Russian, and Norse poetry, but has hitherto been considered fabulous. 

" We have a companion flower to the above in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a magnificent 
crimson flower that must have been seen by all persons who have visited the Mariposa grove 
of big trees when there was snow on the ground. The San Francisco Bulletin made mention, 
of this beautiful snow flower many years ago as follows: — "One of the grandest objects 
which meets the eye of the traveler in our mountains is the exquisite plant, the Snow Plant of 
the Sierra — the Sarcodes Sanguinea of John Torrey, the botanist. It is an inhabitant only of 
the higher Sierra, being rarely found below an altitude of 4,000 feet, and its glorious crimson 
sjjike of flowers may be seen early in May forcing itself through the snows which at that 
period cling about the sides of our pine forests. The portion of the plant which is visible 
above the soil is a bright rosy crimson in color, and presents the very strongest contrast to 
the dark green of the pines and the shimmer of the snow. Its root is succulent, thick, and 
abundantly free of moisture, attaching itself to the roots of other plants, principally to the 
species of the pine family. Hence it is among those curious members of the vegetable world 
which are known to botanists as parasites, and is consecjuently entirely incapable of cultiva- 
tion. The deer are extremely fond of it, and it is not an uncommon circumstance to find a 
number of the plants uprooted and robbed of the fleshy part of their underground growth by 
these animals. It belongs to the natural order Orobanchacea, and is met with through the whole 
of the Sierra region, becoming rarer as we approach the South. 

" The real Alpine rose {rhododendron ferriiginenm\ with the rust-colored hue underneath 
the leaves, is growing in the Schneisingen forest, near Schneisingen, canton of Aargau. On 
starting, of course with a guide, from the high-lying church of the village, in the direction of 
the Ethal, and going across the wooded plateau of Bowald in about forty minutes, in an open 
wood of mixed growth, a little garden, or rather preserve of alpine roses is reached. It is sup- 
posed to be the only one in the Jura, and was discovered about five years ago, when the parish 




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A RAMBLE WITH FLORA. 161 

of Schneisingen took it under its especial protection, by having the little colony fenced in, and 
appointing a guardian in the person of the forester, who allows no one to gather the flowers. 
A correspondent of the New York Times lately saw about fifty plants in full bloom, the 
branches and leaves also looking very healthy. 

" The American Naturalist notes the discovery, in an abandoned drift in a mine in Nevada 
of a remarkable fungus. It was growing from a beam 400 feet below the surface of the earth, 
and was three feet four in length, and of a light buff color. It consisted mainly of a three- 
parted stem, two or three inches in diameter, attached by means of a disk eight or ten inches 
wide. The stem was divided into short branches, greatly resembling in shape and arrange- 
ment the young antlers of a stag, the three terminal ones being much the most vigorous and 
conspicuous, forming a perfect trident. The plant is called by the miners the ' Lily of the 
Mines,' and has been named by the naturalist first describing it agaricns tridens. 

" The London Garden copies from Palgrave's work on Central and Eastern Arabia, an 
account of a plant whose seeds produce effects similar to those of laughing gas. It is a native 
of Arabia. A dwarf variety at Oman, which attains to a height of from three to four feet, with 
woody stems, has wide-spreading branches, and bright green foliage. Its flowers are produced 
in clusters, and are of a bright yellow color. The seed pods are soft and wooly in texture, and 
contain two or three black seeds, of the size and shape of a French bean. Their flavor is a 
little like that of opium, and their taste is sweet; the odor from them produces a sickening 
sensation, and is slightly offensive. These seeds contain the essential property of this extra- 
ordinary plant ; and, when pulverized and taken in small doses, operate ujoon a person in a 
most peculiar manner. He begins to laugh loudly, boisterously; then he sings, dances, and 
cuts all manner of fantastic capers. Such extravagance of gesture and manners was never 
produced by any other kind of dosing. The effect continues about an hour, and the patient is 
uproariously comical. When the excitement ceases, the exhausted exhibitor falls into a deep 
sleep, which continues for an hour or more, and when he awakens he is utterly unconscious 
that any such demonstrations have been enacted by him. We usually say that there is nothing 
new under the sun ; but this peculiar plant, recently discovered, as it exercises the most extra- 
ordinary influence over the human brain, demands from men of science a careful investigation. 

" One of the most exquisite wonders of the sea is called the opelet, and is about as large as 
the German aster, looking, indeed, very much like one. Imagine a very large double aster, 
with a great many long petals of a light green color, glossy as satin, and each one tipped with 
rose color. These lovely petals do not lie quietly in their places, but wave about in the water, 
while the opelet clings to a rock. How innocent, and how lovely it looks on its rocky bed! 
Who would suspect that it would eat anything grosser than dew and sunlight.'' But those 
beautiful waving arms, as you call them, have use besides looking pretty. They have to pro- 
vide for a large, open mouth, which is hidden down deep among them, so hidden that one can 
scarcely find it. Well do they perform their duty; for the instant a foolish little fish touches 
one of the rosy tips, he is struck with a poison as fatal to him as lightning. He immediately 
becomes numb, and in a moment stops struggling, and then the other arms wrap themselves 
about him, and he is drawn into the huge, greedy mouth, and is seen no more. Then the 
lovely arms unclose, and wave again in the water. 

" Mr. D. M. Berry, editor of the Los Angeles Commercial, under date of June i, 1876, wrote 
as follows : 'A correspondent of the Express speaks justly and enthusiastically of the beau- 
tiful Yucca, the supremest flower of the Pacific coast. But the writer is in error in limiting 
the plant to the boundaries of the Santa Anita Rancho. That charming locality canrot claim 
a monopoly of this conspicuous flower. It grows in countless numbers in our picturesque 



162 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

Sierra Madras, and in the numerous Arroyo Secos, which lead from the canons to the plains. 
The floral wealth of the opulent county of Los Angeles is but little understood. A full descrip- 
tion would fill a volume of great size, and greater value.' 

'" Two o-reat, gorgeous, white blossoms with yellow stamens and rose colored sepals,' says 
a writer in a late New York Herald, 'the continuation of a tube a foot in length, formed the 
crowning glory of an immense, branching cactus that stood just within the open doorway of 
Ur. Kunze's drug store at 606 Third avenue, last evening. The beautiful flowers, looking 
something like glorified pond lilies, attracted attention. The plant was the Phyllocactus 
grandis rosens, a native of Central America, and a type of the luxuriant tropical vegetation 
that requires the rich, damp earth, and intense heat of the interior valleys, rather than a dry, 
arid soil in which plants of its genus are more commonly found. The most interesting feature 
of this particular cactus is that it flowers only once a year, and then only at night. The beauti- 
ful calyx, moreover, never unfolds more than once, and then for a few hours only. Those of last 
night began to open at eight o'clock, and closed at about two o'clock A. M. They were viewed 
by artists, and men of science, who made drawings, and took notes of their peculiarities. The 
plant, which is five years old, is the finest specimen of its kind ever exhibited in New York.^ 

'•A flower has been recently described by an eye-witness at Constantinople, which is so 
great a rarity that one is apt to treat it as a fable, and wait for the confirmation of one's own 
eyesight. It belongs to the narcissus kind of bulbs, and bears the botanic name of Ophyra 
Mouche. There were three naked flowers on the stalk hanging on one side ; the underneath 
one was fading, while the two others were in all their beauty. They represented a perfect 
humming-bird. The breast, of bright emerald green, is a complete copy of this bird, and the 
throat, head, beak and eyes are a most perfect imitation. The hinder part of the body and 
the two outstretched wings are of a bright rose color, — one might almost say flesh colored. 
On the abdomen rests the whole propagation apparatus, of a deep, dark brown tint, in the 
form of a two-winged gadfly. 

" In the west of India are found some thorny plants or trees, nearly destitute of verdure, 
except what appears to be long, shaggy hair, which derives its nourishment from the atmos- 
phere rather than from the earth. 

" The moving plant is a native of the basin of the Ganges. Its leaves revolve in various 
directions during the day and night, except on a very hot day, when the plant seems to desist 
from its habitual motion for temporary repose. A high wind is said to produce a cessation of 
its motion. At times, again, only certain parts of the plant are noticed to be in motion — a 
leaf, or, perhaps, a branch ; and it seldom occurs that some portion of it is not quite motion- 
less while the remainder is active. 

" Near the Irrawaddy grows the Borassuss jlabella formis, which bears a leaf of wonderful 
dimensions, and which is said to be of sufficient size to cover twelve men standing upright. 

" At Tenior, near the island of Java, a plant is found, the leaf of which, being of thorny 
nature, possesses a fatal sting when penetrating the flesh. The victim if not fatally poisoned, 
frequently suffers protracted illness. The plant is called ' devil's leaf.' 

"There was lately on exhibition at Mr. Spurgeon's store at Santa Ana, (Cal.), a large tropi- 
cal flower of many petals and striking beauty. It is from the chameleon vine, imported from 
Madagascar by Mr. Kendall. The flower possesses the peculiarity of changing color three 
times in the course of the year, varying from green to red. 

" The popular tradition, which tells how the name came to be applied to the plant which is 
now called forget-me-not throughout Europe, is not generally known. It is said that a knight 
and a lady were walking together by the side of the Danube, interchanging vows of affection 



LEGE, YD OF BEAUTIFUL ALICE. 163 

and devotion, when the latter saw on the other side of the stream the bright blue flowers of 
the Myosotis, and expressed a desire for them. The knight, eager to gratify her, plunged into 
the river, and, reaching the opposite banks, gathered a bunch of flowers. On his return, how- 
ever, the current proved too strong for him, and, after many efforts to reach the land, he was 
borne away. With a last effort, he flung the fatal blossoms upon the bank, exclaiming, as he 
did so : ' Forget-me-not.' 

" Flower legends have been written both by ancients and moderns — one of the latter of 
which I will quote, and which will make an appropriate ending to this sketch. It is related of, 
and firmly believed in by, the inhabitants of the Harz Mountains, and is called the ' Legend of 
the Night-flowering Lily of Lauenberg' : — 

" ' Beautiful Alice dwelt with her widowed mother in a small cottage at the foot of the Harz 
Mountains. Her principal occupation was that of gathering forest-straw, — that is, dried 
foliage of the pine and fir tribe, — which is very much used in certain parts of Germany as a 
stuffing for beds, etc. Thus was the maiden occupied when the Lord of Lauenberg rode by. 
With wily words he extolled her looks, and swore that she was too pretty a blossom to be 
hidden in a peasant's cot, and begged her to go with him, and dwell in his lordly castle, where 
she would have nothing to do but to command, and where all would obey her. The simple 
girl was dazzled by the brilliant prospect ; but, true to her simplicity, flew to her mother, and 
related all that had transpired. The mother wept bitterly over her darling's communication, 
for too well she knew the character of Lauenberg's dissolute baron. Hastily packing up her 
few household treasures, she carried off her wondering and sorrowful child to the shelter of 
a neighboring convent, within whose sombre walls she believed poor Alice might rest secure. 
Not long, however, had the simple country girl been immured in the holy edifice before the 
enraged noble discovered her retreat ; and, determined to obtain the beautiful flower, 
assembled his vassals, forced an entrance into the convent, and, seizing the object of his 
passion, bore her, half dead with fear, to his castle. On arriving at midnight in the garden 
in front of his dwelling, he alighted with his senseless burden in his arms; but, as he 
attempted to enter the castle, the guardian spirits of Alice snatched the poor maiden from his 
arms. On the very spot where her feet had been, sprang up the beautiful lily of Lauenberg. 
The annual appearance of the lily at midnight is anxiously looked forward to by the inhabi- 
tants of the Harz; and many of them are said to perform a nightly pilgrimage to see it, 
returning to their homes overpowered by its dazzling beauty, and asserting that it sheds 
beams of light on the valley below.' " 

The Del Monte Bathing Pavilion is situated on the beach, about eight minutes' walk from 
the hotel, and is one of the largest and most complete establishments of the kind in the 
world. It is 70 feet wide by 170 long. There are four tanks of about 36 feet wide by 50 
feet long. The water in these tanks ranges in temperature from cold to very warm, and the 
bather can take his choice. The heating is done by steam, and the water is daily changed. 
The pavilion contains 210 dressing rooms, one-half of which is set apart for the use of ladies. 
Each of the latter is fitted up with a fresh-water shower bath, while on the gentlemen's side 
fourteen shower baths serve for all. The pavilion, and everything connected with it, is kept 
scrupulously clean, and always presents a pleasing appearance. When filled with bathers and 
spectators, it presents a spectacle which, in point of animation and interest, would be hard to 
surpass. Outside of this pavilion is a beautiful sandy beach, on which surf-bathing may be 
enjoyed. 

At the Hotel del Monte we were pleased to meet our old friends, Benjamin Kinsley and 
wife, of Providence, who advised us to take the famous 18-mile drive, which we did. 




BATHING PAVILION, HOTEL DEL MONTE. 



TEE " eightee:k-mile" drive. 165 

Little is said when it is asserted tiiis is one of the grandest drives on the continent. Let us 
traverse it and note some of the strange and striking scenes which it discloses. The road runs 
from the Hotel del Monte to Monterev, and there turns to the left and ascends a long hill of 
easy grade. The top is the crest of the 'ridge which runs out from the mainland; and just 
beyond, a scene of surpassing beauty bursts upon the vision ; for spreading out far below in 
dark-blue splendor are the waters of Carmel Bay. It is a fairy scene, a glimpse of another 
world. Down plunges the road toward the bay, through a forest of oaks and pines ; and 
glimpses of the blue water and the great shining ocean beyond are caught through the trees. 

We pass Pescadero Beach, long and sandy; then Chinese Cove, small, cosy, and sheltered; 
then Pebble Beach, lying under a bluff of stone which the waves have worked into extraordi- 
nary shapes. Here is a famous place for gathering those pebble gems which many prize so 
highly for the wonderful colors which they show. 

Then a strange tree is seen, — the far-famed cypress of this locality. Between Pebble 
Beach and Cypress Point there is a stretch of wild, rocky coast, with frowning promontories 
and wave-worn caverns, bleak spray-dashed rocks jutting naked from the land, and black reefs 
at their base. The bluffs are crowned with those strange trees called cypresses, which cling 
to the rocks with fierce tenacity, sprawling, cringing, grasping, seemingly with desperate 
strength, the immovable crags which give them support. Nowhere else in the world is this 
species seen. 

Standing in solitary grandeur out in the water a short distance from the shore is the famed 
Seal Rock. Clinging to the jagged sides and peak of this little granite island are thousands 
of seals, easily visible from the shore. These seals are not so dark in color as those near San 
Francisco, and some of the old sea-lions are as large as an ox. They emit a strange bellowing 
sound, and when excited, we were told, the sound varies from a short, sharp bark, as of a dog, 
to an exact resemblance to the grunt of a hog. Every few minutes we saw some struggle for 
supremacy, in which the little fellows were soon vanquished. 

The road is tortuous, winding in and out of shady ravines, and as hard and smooth and 
clean as the walks in the grounds of the Hotel del Monte. After many windings down an 
easy grade, the bay is reached, and we return over the splendid macadamized road. 

Sunday morning we paid our bills, which we thought very reasonable ; there is but one price 
for rooms and board, and it is printed and framed and put in each room. A boarder said 
there was no deviation, whether you remained a day or a year. The conductor of our train 
stopped at a bridge near Monterey, and showed us a great crack in the ground made by an 
earthquake some two months before. People were much excited at the time, he said, but 
little damage was done. We reached San Jose in time for supper at the Vendome, which 
was literally crowded, but room was quickly made for us as soon as it was known we were 
Raymond & Whitcomb excursionists. 

Meanwhile our friends had reached San Jose at 1.20 p. m. Saturday, May 3. The Mercury 
said : — 

" On their arrival they were taken to the Hotel Vendome, where, after lunch, an informal 
reception was held, and many of the Pioneer citizens called to pay their respects. During the 
afternoon many gentlemen placed their buggies and carriages at the disposal of the Pioneers. 
Pleasant driving parties were formed, and the visitors taken for long drives through the city 
and the surrounding country. Many of the party spent the afternoon in walking about the 
streets, and others in lounging along the verandas of the hotel. 

" The members of the excursion do not seem like veterans who were roughing it forty 
years ago, but like men in the prime of life. Not a single weak or broken man can be seen in 



166 pio:n'eebs of '49. 

the party. All of them are hale, hearty, and alert, and move about not merely with vigor, but 
with animation. 

" The reception given to the Pioneers in the evening amounted to quite an ovation. During 
the dinner hour the Vendome orchestra discoursed strains of sweet music, which gave to that 
repast the semblance of a banquet. After dinner the great reception hall of the hotel was 
thronged. Many of our most prominent citizens were present, and introductions and hand- 
shakings were the order of the evening. 

"The usual Saturday evening hop was attended by quite a number of the younger people 
who were accompanying the Pioneers, and, as the usual Sunday visitors from San Francisco 
were out in full force, the ballroom presented a most lively and animated appearance. 

"The Pioneers, who had spent the day in sight-seeing, expressed the greatest admira- 
tion for the city and the orchards. On every side admiring comments were heard, which were 
not wholly directed to the serenity of the climate and the beauty of the landscape, but also to 
the cordial hospitality which had been shown them in every part of California. Several 
among them remember San Jose as it appeared thirty or forty years ago, and were greatly 
interested in the growth of the city and its present prosperous condition." 

In addition to the above, the resident Knights Templars gave a royal reception to the knights 
of our party, thirty of whom took a trip to Lick Observatory and gave glowing accounts of 
the excursion. 

With a population of about 50,000, San Jose is, nevertheless, a city of gardens, orchards, 
and vineyards. It is one of the great centres of the cherry culture. A year and a half since, 
the elegant Hotel Vendome, which occupies a square of twelve acres in the prettiest section 
of the city, was thrown open to the public. The house is one of the neatest and best-equipped 
in California, and at once became very popular. 

On Monday I joined the party, which spent the day in visiting the observatory, of which 
drive I give an account in a separate chapter. Some went to see the big redwood trees at 
Santa Cruz, some strolled, and others wrote home. On May Day, a great flower day in that 
section, not a steamer or car could be obtained to make an intended trip from San Francisco 
to Capitola, the home of Mrs. Frank Lewis, who, with her sister, Mrs. J. M. Murphy, of San 
Jose, are among the last, and, perhaps, the very last, survivors of the famous Donner Party. 
They had invited us, but, when we found we could not reach them, our officers telegraphed, 
asking them to come to San Jose, if possible, as this was our last day there. They arrived at 
7 P. M., and we received them in the large parlor, Messrs. Thomes and Whittemore making 
appropriate addresses, and the two ladies shook hands with us all. A gentleman presented 
Mrs. Lewis with a handsome bouquet of very fragrant roses, and she gave each her card with 
a spray of Iceland moss pressed in on one side. They told the story of their bitter experience 
in childhood, which I will give in the proper place. 




THE MARSHALL MOXUMEKT. 167 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE MARSHALL MONUMENT. 

For those the sculptor's laurel'd bust, 

The builder's marble piles, 
The anthems pealing o'er their dust 

Through long cathedral aisles. 

— Holmes. 

ON Saturday, May 3, while we were at Monterey and Menlo Park, more than 2,000 
people, among them Governor Robert Waterman, Secretary of State W. C. Hendricks, 
and other state officials were assembled on Marshall Hill, about half a mile from the site of 
Sutter's Mill and 300 feet above the river, to witness the unveiling of a monument to 
James W. Marshall. As the event will be prominent in the history of El Dorado county, and 
was of great interest to our party, who would have liked to attend, I give the gist of the 
oration of Senator A. F. Jones and the reports of the press. 

The first mention of gold in California was made in Hakluyt's account of the voyage of Sir 
Francis Drake, who spent five or six weeks, in June or July, 1579, in a bay on the coast of 
California. When he wrote that there could hardly be a "handful of soil taken up wherein 
there is not a reasonable quantity of gold or silver," in the light of the present the statement 
was absurd, for neither gold nor silver has ever been found in the vicinity of the point where 
Drake must have landed. 

Other early explorers stated that gold had been found long before the discovery of Marshall. 
James D. Dana, the mineralogist, says that gold rock and veins of quartz were observed by 
him in 1842 near the Umpqua River, in southern Oregon; and again, that he found gold near 
the Sierra Nevada and on the Sacramento River; also, on the San Joaquin River and between 
those rivers. There is, in the reports of the Fremont exploring expedition, an intimation of 
the existence of gold. 

It has been said that in October and November, 1845, a Mexican was shot at Verba Buena 
(San Francisco), on account of having a bag of gold dust, and when dying, pointed northward 
and said, "Legos ! Legos ! " (yonder), indicating where he found the gold dust. 

It has been claimed, and with a considerable degree of probability, that the Mormons, who 
arrived in San Francisco on the ship Brooklyti, found gold before the famous discovery at 
Coloma. They selected California as their future home. Their land expedition started 
across the plains, and a ship named the Brooklyn carried from the eastern side of the conti- 
nent a number of the believers. Samuel Brannan, who was prominent in the early history of 
Sacramento, San Francisco, and the State, was one of their leading men who came with the 
sea voyagers. When the Brooklyti immigrants landed at Buena Verba (San Francisco), they 
found that the United States forces had taken possession of California, and that they had 
landed upon soil possessed by the nation from which they were endeavoring to flee. Couriers 



168 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 

•were sent overland to intercept the land party; and it is said they found them at the place 
where Salt Lake City is now located. The overland party determined to locate at that place, 
although it was then sterile and unpromising. Those who came on the Brooklyn dispersed 
in California, and some of them located at Mormon Island, in Sacramento county; and it is 
claimed that they found gold long before the discovery at Coloma, but that they kept their 
discovery a secret. However that may be, it is a fact that mining was prosecuted by them 
about the time of Marshall's discovery. 

At a banquet of the Associated Pioneers of the territorial days of California, held in the 
City of New York, on Jan. i8, 187S, Colonel T. B. Thorpe, a veteran of the Mexican War, who 
had been on the staff of General Zachary Taylor, stated that while he had been employed as a 
journalist in New Orleans, several years before the discovery of gold at Coloma, a Swede, 
evidently far gone in consumption, called upon him and represented that he was what in his 
country was called a " king's orphan " ; that he had been educated at a governmental institu- 
tion on condition that after he had received his education he should travel in foreign lands, 
observe and record what he had seen, and deposit his records with the government. He stated 
that he had visited California, remained several days at Sutter's Fort, enjoying the hospitality 
of Sutter; that while there he closely examined the surrounding country, and became con- 
vinced that it abounded richly in gold. Colonel Thorpe stated that the Swede gave him this 
opinion in writing. At that banquet General Sutter was present, and Colonel Thorpe called 
upon him to say whether he had any recollection concerning the Swedish visitor. Sutter 
replied that he did recollect the visit, which had occurred about thirty-four years before ; and 
he also remembered that the Swede expressed himself regarding the presence of mineral wealth 
in the neighboring hills ; " but," added the general, " I was too much occupied at the time with 
other concerns to devote any time or attention to it. My crops were ripe, and it was impera- 
tive that they should be gathered as quickly as possible ; but I do recollect the scientific 
' Swedish gentleman.' " 

The report of the remarks delivered at that banquet were published, and in it is contained a 
copy of the manuscript to which Colonel Thorpe referred, in which the " king's orphan "^ 
wrote : " The Californias are rich in minerals. Gold, silver, lead, oxide of iron, manganese, 
and copper ore are all met with throughout the country, the precious metals being the most 
abundant." 

There is another account of an early discovery, which was published in the New Age in 
San Francisco, the official organ of the Odd Fellows, in September 1865. It purports to have 
been an extract written by the Paris correspondent of the London Star, who wrote that in the 
City of Paris he visited a private museum, and that its owner exhibited to him a nugget of 
gold, and stated that twenty-eight years before a poor invalid had presented himself and took 
out of his tattered coat a block of quartz, and asked the proprietor of the museum if he would 
purchase it, assuring him that it was full of gold. The stranger said: " I have come to you 
to apply to the government to give me a vessel and a crew of 100 men, and I will promise to 
return with a cargo of gold." The proprietor of the museum presumed that the man was mad, 
and gave him a napoleon as a matter of charity, but retained a piece of the quartz. Afterward 
the quartz was analyzed, and it was proved to contain pure gold. Fifteen years elapsed, and 
a parcel and letter were left at his door. The parcel was wrapped in a handkerchief, and was 
heavy. The letter was worn and almost illegible. On deciphering it, it proved to be the dying 
statement of the poor traveler, which, through the neglect of the lodging-house keeper where 
he died, after the interview referred to, had never been delivered. The package contained a 
block of quartz, and the letter was thus worded : — 



THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD. 169 

"You alone listened to me ; you alone stretched out a helping hand to me. Alas ! it was too 
late ! I am dying. I bequeath my secret to you. The country from whence I brought this, 
gold is called California." 

The credit, however, for the practical discovery of gold in California is due to James W.. 
Marshall. It is true that a gold mine had been worked in 1841 in the lower part of the State, 
and gold from that mine was sent to the Philadelphia mint for coinage as early as July, 1843. 
The mine, however, proved unprofitable and was abandoned. The story of the discovery of 
Marshall at Coloma, in January, 1848, is confused, and the precise date upon which it was. 
made can perhaps never be settled. 

The following may be considered Marshall's personal account of his discovery, and the 
incidents leading up to that event : — 

Before the breaking out of the Bear Flag War, Marshall had purchased two leagues of land, 
situated on the north side of Butte Creek, (now Butte County,) from Samuel J. Hensley, whO' 
owned a Spanish grant of six leagues in that district. He decided to go into the lumbering 
business, and asked Sutter to furnish him an Indian interpreter, proposing to explore the 
foothills for a suitable site for a sawmill, and foreseeing the necessity of being able to con- 
verse with the mountain tribes of Indians. Sutter was at first reluctant to comply with this 
request, having need of Marshall's services, but after the latter had agreed to perform certain 
mechanical work for him, he consented, though it afterward turned out that the Indian who 
accompanied him knew no more of the country than he did himself. Marshall set out on his 
quest, and followed up the banks of the American river for several days, examining the coun- 
try all around, but not finding what he considered a suitable location for his mill. Presently 
he branched off on the South Fork of the American river, and at length reached a place which 
he found was called Culloomah by the Indians, and which was afterward known as Coloma. 

This was about the ist of June, 1847, and after many delays, caused principally by the 
attempts of others to interfere in the business, a partnership agreement was entered into- 
between Marshall and Sutter on the 19th of August. The terms of this agreement were to 
the effect that Sutter should furnish the capital to build a mill, on a site selected by Marshall, 
who was to be the active partner, and to run the mill, receiving certain compensation for so 
doing. A verbal agreement was also entered into between them, to the effect that if, at the 
close of the Mexican war (then pending), California should belong to Mexico, Sutter, as a 
citizen of that Republic, should possess the mill site, Marshall retaining his right to mill 
privileges, and to cut timber, etc.; while, if the country was ceded to the United States, 
Marshall, as an American citizen, was to own the property. The formal articles of partnership 
were drawn by General John Bidwell, who was then acting as clerk in Sutter's store, and were 
witnessed by him and Samuel Kyburz, Sutter's business manager. Soon after these arrange- 
ments had been made, Marshall hired a man named Peter L. Werner, with his family, and six 
or seven mill hands, with several wagons containing material, provisions, tools, etc., and started 
for Coloma. Work on the mill was commenced at once, and prosecuted with energy. The 
names of the men who were then working on the mill, and who, if living, can substantiate the 
accuracy of this narrative, are as follows : Peter L. Wemer, William Scott, James Bargee, 
Alexander Stephens, James Brown, William Johnson, and Henry Bigler. (The latter after- 
wards moved to Salt Lake, and became an Elder in the Mormon Church.) Wemer was in 
charge of some eight or ten Indians, whose work it was to throw out the larger sized rocks 
excavated while constructing the mill race, in the day time, and at night, by raising the gate 
of the fore-bay, the water entered and carried away the lighter stones, gravel, and sand. This. 
was the work that was going on at the mill on Jan. 19, 1848. 



170 PIO^'EEBS OF '49. 

On the morning of that memorable day, Marshall went out to superintend the men, and, 
after closing the fore-bay gate, and thus shutting off the water, walked down the tail-race to 
see what sand and gravel had been removed during the night. This had been customary with 
him for some time, for he had previously entertained the idea that there might be minerals in 
the mountains, and had expressed it to Sutter, who, however, only laughed at him. On this 
occasion, having strolled to the lower end of the race, he stood for a moment examining the 
mass of debris that had been washed down, and his eye caught the glitter of something that 
lay lodged in a crevice, on a riffle of soft granite, some six inches under the water. His first 
act was to stoop and pick up the substance. It was heavy, of a peculiar color, and unlike 
anything he had seen in the stream before. For a few moments he stood with it in his hand, 
reflecting and endeavoring to recall what he had read of various minerals. He finally became 
satisfied that what he held in his hand must be one of three substances, — mica, sulphuret of 
copper, or gold. The weight assured him that it was not mica. Could it be sulphuret of cop- 
per.? He remembered that that mineral is brittle, and that gold is malleable; and, as the 
thought passed through his mind, he turned about, placed the specimen upon a flat stone, and 
proceeded to test it by striking it with another. The substance did not crack or flake off; it 
simply bent under the blows. This, then, was gold, and in this manner was it first found Jn 
California. 

The diary of Henry W. Bigler, a fellow workman, names January 24 as the day of the dis- 
covery, while Samuel Brannan corroborates Marshall's statement. From a careful comparison, 
however, of all the documentary evidence extant on the subject, John S. Hittel, in the Century, 
concludes that the true date was January 24, agreeing with Bigler. 

In the lifetime of Mr. Marshall he had frequently expressed the wish that when he died he 
might be buried on the elevated spot where his remains are now reposing. It is quite a prom- 
inent point, from which can be viewed the scenes of his early exploits. The first movement 
in that direction was made by Placerville Parlor No. 9, Native Sons of the Golden West. 

An appeal to the Legislature of the State secured an appropriation of $5,000 to carry on the 
work, and afterwards $4,000 additional was voted for the improvement of the grounds, all the 
Avork to be under the supervision of three Commissioners to be appointed by the Governor. 

Plans and specifications for the monument were called for, and ten competitors submitted 
designs, that chosen being the work of F". M. Wells, of San Francisco, his effort securing the 
unanimous approval of the commissioners. 

The monument is forty-one feet in height, and is of admirable proportions. The cap of the 
pedestal is five feet square, on which the statue of Marshall is placed. The statue is heroic in 
size, being eleven feet in height, representing Marshall dressed in miners' garb. In the open 
palm of his right hand there is a nugget of gold, the index finger of his left hand pointing to 
the memorable spot where the discovery was made. On the north side of the monument is the 
inscription of the Great Seal of the State ; on the south side, a view of Sutter's mill ; on the 
east side the names of the commissioners, A. Caminetti, John H. Miller, George Hofmeister 
and H. C. Gesford, with a legend reading: " The site for this monument is a gift to the 
State of California, from Placerville Parlor, Native Sons of the Golden West." 

On the west side of the monument are the words : " Erected by the State of California, in 
memory of James W. Marshall, the discoverer of gold. Born Oct. 10, iSio; died Aug. 10, 
1888. The first nugget was found in the race of Sutter's mill, in Coloma, Jan. 19, 1S48." 

In quietly viewing the monumental pile dedicated to Mr. Marshall's memory, one cannot 
suppress a feeling of melancholy pleasure in our reflections upon the kindness that is so apt to 
pervade the human breast. Whatever may be the weakness of men in life, we gladly forget, 




THE MARSHALL STATUE. 



172 PIOJfEERS OF '49. 

and only cherish a spirit of generosity toward them for every important element of good^ 
when they have left us. We have the evidence before us, not only in this beautiful monument 
to his memory, but connected with it the acknowledgment of his merit by the appropriatiort 
made by our Legislature as follows: — 

February 2, 1872, $200 per month for 2 years. 

March 23, 1874, 100 " " " " " 

April I, 1876, 100 " " " " " 

And it is only to be regretted that these contributions had not been continued, so as to some- 
what soften the ruggedness of his pathway to the close of his eventful life. 

Sutter's Fort, the one monument that marks the era of California's history when the thrall- 
dom of ignorance, retrogression, and inertia, hanging for centuries over the glorious land of 
California, was thrown aside for the triumphant march of civilization and the energetic devel- 
opment of magnificent resources by the omnipresent Yankee, has for many years been allowed 
to go into decay, time and the elements threatening to obliterate it entirely. With a com- 
mendable spirit of patriotism, gentlemen connected with Themis, a Sacramento literary publi- 
cation, not long ago started a movement for the restoration of the fort and its purchase as 
public property, the result being that it is now an assured fact that the property will be repaired 
and secured to the public as an historical relic that marks the beginning of the development of 
the grandest State of the Union. 

Sutter's Fort has become a thing of the past. Until the summer of 1849 certain business 
men clung to it as headquarters for business, but trade went to the river front, and along the 
streets of the city, and the fort as a business centre was abandoned as early as November, 
1849. Brannan's store was turned into a hospital. The materials of which the fort was con- 
structed were required for buildings elsewhere, as building materials in 1849 and 1850 were 
scarce and high. 

The outer walls of the fort, built of adobes, were 2>^ feet thick, and 18 feet high. The 
inner and partition walls were 18 inches thick, and the inner wall about 14 feet high. The 
slope of the roof was inward, and covered with sugar-pine shingles. 

The interior building was occupied first as a boarding-house in 1847, and afterward, in 1850, 
as a dwelling. The walls of the fort shut out the world from view, and those living inside 
wanted them removed. Under these circumstances, before 1853, all the materials constituting 
the fort had been removed, and used elsewhere. The adobes even were taken away for use^ 
and no vestige of the structure remains to mark any line of the fort, except at the place where 
was the northwest bastion a little elevation is shown to mark it. No man can trace the walls- 
of the fort by any appearance of the surface. 

After much parleying, Benjamin Merrill, of Chicago, the owner of the land upon which 
stands Sutter's Fort, has set a price upon the property, and nothing now remains to be done 
but to raise the money and purchase it. As the price named is considered a reasonable one, 
there ought to be no difficulty in securing the necessary funds. Mr. Merrill has decided to. 
sell the two blocks for the sum of $20,000, and donate $2,000 toward restoring and preserving 
it. In his letter to his agent Mr. Merrill regretted that the newspapers had assumed that he 
was unpatriotic in declining to fix a price upon the property sooner. He considered the figure 
named a very low one, and said he would not sell the property for the sum named for any other 
purpose, as he believed it was worth much more money. 



THE STOEY OF SUTTER'S MILL. 173 

CoLUMMA, Upper California, ) 
December 20, 1848. \ 

This indenture made and entered into this 20th day of December, one thousand eiglit hun- 
dred and forty-eight, between John A. Suter, party of the first part, and John Winters, and 
Alden S. Bailey, party of the second part, Witnesseth : that the said party of the first part 
for & in consideration of the sum of six thousand dollars, to him paid, or secured to be paid 
by the said party of the second part, hath this day bargained, sold and conveyed to the said 
party of the second part all his right, title, and claim in & to the property known as Suter's 
Saw Mill, at Columma, near the mountain, & to any & all the land within two miles of said 
sawmill, and all the appurtenances thereunto belonging, and hereby covenants, and agrees to 
defend unto the said party of the second part the aforesaid property against all parties claim- 
ing under him forever. It is understood as a part of the indenture that the house now occu- 
pied by the Suterville Mining Company is excepted out of the sawmill property. 

It is furthermore understood that the specification of two miles in the above indenture is 
intended to include whatever the U. S. Government may grant as a pre-emption. 

Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of the undersigned witnesses this day and date 
above written. J. A. Suter, [seal.] 

A. S. Bester. 

J. W. Marshall. 

:State of California, ) 
County of El Dorado, ss. \ 

On the 13th day of June, 1850, personally appeared before me, a Justice of the Peace in & 
for said county, James W. Marshall, to me known, who being duly sworn, did depose that he 
saw John A. Suter execute the above conveyance ; that he executed the same freely, and vol- 
untarily for the uses and purposes therein contained, & at his request signed his name as a 
subscribing witness thereto. Jno. H. Dunnele, J. P. 

C. H. Houghton, Sacramento, locates Sutter's Fort at 28th and L streets. 

THE STORY OF SUTTER'S MILL. 
A. V. Hoffman, Nevada County. 

When years have chased each other 

Down the rugged steeps of time, 
When the world has lost its harmony, 

Life's song its merry rhyme; 
When the little mounds of gravel 

Thrown up by the Pioneers, 
Have been lost to us forever 

With the silent drift of years. 

When the sturdy " forty-niners " 

In the cradle of the world, 
Sleep the sleep that knows no waking, 

'Neath the flag their toil unfurled — 
Still in memory forever 

We will keep the stories old, 
Of the hardships and the trials ' 

In the struggle after gold. 



174 FIOJVEEBS OF '49. 



And of all those dear old stories 

There is one more precious yet 
Than the legends of the ancients — 

One we never will forget ; 
'Tis the story of the mill-race, 

And the finding in the sand 
Of the precious yellow colors 

That brought life into the land. 

And let no one pass the mill-race — 

Where the breeze within the pine 
Breathes a gentle benediction 

O'er the graves of '49 — 
Without thinking of the struggle 

Of the man who here, alone, 
Roused the world and brought it to him, 

But to cheat him of his own. 

Yet the years may chase each other 

Down the rugged steeps of time. 
The world may lose its harmony, 

Life's song its merry rhyme. 
But forever and forever 

The story of the mill. 
And the man who dug the mill-race, 

Will linger with us still. 




THE LICK OBSERVATORY. 175 



CHAPTER XIX. 

A VISIT TO THE LICK OBSERVATORY. 

The works of God are fair for naught 

Unless our eyes, in seeing, 
See hidden in the thing the thought 

That animates its being. 

— TiLTON. 

THIS trip would be well worth taking if there were no observatory to be seen, but the 
wonders of the institution make it so interesting that I would advise every tourist to go 
to Mount Hamilton. Some of the way one can look down by the side of the stage a thousand 
feet, but the drivers are careful and know their business. Our driver said he came down one 
dark night when he could hardly see the leaders of his four-horse team. 

From the " Hand-book " of Edward S. Holden, LL. D., Director of the observatory, I select 
the following, which describes our journey and what we saw much better than I can: — 

" The regular stages for the Lick Observatory depart from San Jose about half-past seven in 
the morning in order to have a long day before the tourist. The straight, level avenue leaves 
the central square of the pretty and prosperous city and makes straight for the foothills, some 
four miles distant. On the left hand (north) are the sloughs of the Bay of San Francisco shin- 
ing in the sun ; on the right hand are beautiful, fertile fields. At the end of the four miles we 
are 300 feet above San Jose, and we begin the ascent of the Contra Costa range of hills, which 
border the exquisite Valley of Santa Clara on the east. 

" The road is built so that the grade is always kept less than six and a half feet in the hun- 
dred (343 to the mile). This maximum grade is only occasionally met in the first portions of 
the twenty-six miles, while the last seven miles have an average grade of nearly 300 feet per 
mile. In order to keep the gradient as low as this the thirteen miles of distance in an air line 
is made into twenty-six by the road, which follows the contours of the hillsides, turning into 
each ravine, following this to its head, and returning on itself along the opposite side. From 
the time that the ascent is commenced every moment is full of interest, for in all California 
there is no mountain road more delightful than this. 

"Leaving the splendid panorama of the hills, we look at the buildings immediately around 
us. We are on the roof of the observatory proper. At the north end of it is the twenty-five- 
foot dome, which covers a telescope of twelve inches aperture. Directly opposite to it, at the 
south end, is the great seventy-five-foot dome. Towards the northeast are the houses which 
cover the transit instrument and the meridian circle; beyond them is the brick dwelling-house 
of the astronomers. These small buildings nearer to us are for some of the minor instru- 
ments. That little dome covers a very perfect six-inch equatorial. 

"But it is time to descend, and go through the various rooms of the observatory building. 
There, with the explanations of our guide, we may gain some idea of what all these construc- 
tions are for ; why there are so many of them ; and finally, with what object these changes 



176 



PIOJVEEBS OF '49. 



have been made on the summits of the silent hills. Recollect that it was only a few years 
ago that a wilderness was here. Why has it been so transformed? Was it worth while.? 
What may be expected from all this ? There should be satisfying answers to all these 
■questions. 




" Let me give you a picture of what you might see any night in visiting the Lick Observa- 
tory, and tiien let me try to tell you what the meaning of it all may be. You enter a large 
room lighted feebly by a lamp; and if you stand a moment, you can see that somewhere near 
the centre is a large and complicated instrument, a meridian circle, composed of a telescope, 
of microscopes, of divided circles. The room is almost perfectly dark, except for the feeble 
glimmer of a hand lamp which the observer carries, and by whose light he examines alter- 



THE LICK OBSEEVATOnr. 177 

nately the face of the clock, whose beats you hear, and the list of the star which he is to 
observe. Soon you see him point the telescope out through the opening in the roof of the 
building, and at the expected moment the star he seeks enters the field of view of his 
telescope. He is already seated, and looking through the eye-piece at the star as it slowly 
moves along. If your eye could replace his, you would see the star as a brilliant and very 
small disc, moving slowly and regularly across the field of view, and coming up to, crossing, 
and leaving each one of a set of fine spider lines stretched in the eye-piece. As the star 
crosses each one of these, the observer taps a telegraph key ; and this tap and the clock-beats 
are all that you can hear standing where you are. The telegraph key registers a little mark 
on a revolving sheet of paper in another room among rows of marks made by other telegraph 
signals, automatically sent from the pendulum of the standard astronomical clock to the 
chronograph. As soon as the taps have ceased, the observer leaves the telescope, and writes 
down five numbers in a little book he carries, and i/ns star is 'observed.' Another and 
another and another star is observed in the same way; and thirty or forty such observations 
make a night's work of this one astronomer. Another and another and another night's work 
is added to the first one, and so on for years and years. What is the meaning of all this ? 

" In the first place, let us see what data the observer has gained from his observation of a sin- 
gle star : — 

" On the next morning he consults the register on the revolving barrel, and he finds that a 
certain star has crossed the spider lines in the telescope at so jnaiiy hours, so 7uaity minutes, 
so majiy seconds, and so many hundredths of a second. He finds from his little book, which 
registers the readings of his microscopes and divided circles, that the same star was so many 
degrees, minutes, and seconds, and decimals of a second, from the north pole of the sky. The 
whole of his night's work on this star has given him two numbers — one number that tells the 
exact time by his clock, when the star crossed the meridian, and one that tells him the angle 
between the star and the north pole. Now, these two numbers have to be corrected in various 
complicated ways by calculation — for refraction, aberration, precession, nutation; and, after 
an hour's computation on each observation, he finds two new numbers ; and these give iiim the 
star's longitude and latitude as they would have been if the star had been observed exactly at 
the beginning of the year 1875. That is the whole outcome, so far, of the observation of tiiis 
one star, — which took, say five minutes, — and of its calculation, — which took, say sixty min- 
utes. The thirty other stars "observed " on this night ; the thirty stars of 200 other nights in 
the same year; the 6,000 observations of each of ten years, say, are finally printed in a book. 
There are only three columns. One gives the star's name, and the two others give its longi- 
tude and latitude as they would have been observed had each of the 60,000 observations been 
made at the exact instant which separates Dec. 31, 1874, from Jan. i, 1875. That is a catalogue 
of stars. It has taken a strong and an able man ten, fifteen, twenty years to make, and he is 
proud of it, and glad to sacrifice his ease and his life to it. But how disappointing all this is ! 
What has become of the romantic aspect of that dark and silent room, with its roof uncovered 
to the stars, with no sound heard but the monotonous beating of the clock ; with no light but 
the feeble glimmer of tlie astronomer's lamp.'' Do you think the dignity and romance is all 
gone? Vanished into two columns of figures ? Let us see. First, let me tell you that many 
and many an astronomer has been content to look no further than this himself; to leave all 
beyond to others. There have been others, too, who made tlicir catalogues of these same stars, 
it may have been fifty, it may have been 100 years ago. If we compare two catalogues of the 
same stars made fifty years apart, we shall find that the positions of the fixed stars are not fixed 
at all. Just such observations as these were made by Hipparchus 2,000 years ago, and were fol- 



178 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

lowed by the discovery of the precession of the equinoxes ; by the Moors in Spain i,ooo years 
ago, leading to the determination of the laws of astronomical refraction ; by James Bradley, 
the discoverer of aberration, 140 years ago at Greenwich; by Herschel, a century since, wha 
not only discovered the Geofgiiitn S/dus, but also showed the movement of the entire solar 
system ; by living astronomers not more than eight years ago, who deduced a motion of all the 
stars in the sky in a grand vortex, parallel to the milky way itself; and by other giant minds,, 
to whom ' the fates are known of orbs dim hovering on the skirts of space.' 

" Just such conclusions as these are at the end and on the way in every one of the myriad 
series of observations that will be made at Lick Observatory, and all other observatories, this 
year, this decade, this century ; next year, next decade, next century. The day of glaring dis- 
coveries, startling announcements may be over; but the reward of patient, continuous, faithful, 
intelligent labor is just as sure now as it has been — as it always will be. 

" There is no way in which an appreciation of the ari of the practical astronomer can be sa 
quickly and so thoroughly gained as by looking through a large telescope at a planet l\ke Afars^ 
for example, and seeing how almost infinitely little detail can be made out in any one view of 
this minute flaring disc, and then to examine carefully the maps that we have of the surface of 
Mars, where hundreds and hundreds of particulars have been carefully and correctly recorded, 
as the results of thousands and thousands of hours' work. The first feeling of an amateur, ia 
looking at such an object, is invariably one of utter disappointment. Where is the promised 
glory of the heavens ? It is not here. Whose fault is it? Should we blame the telescope? 
our eyes.'' our mmds ? or the canopy of heaven itself.'' Wordsworth has asked these — and 
other — questions in his poem Star-Gazers, and he goes on to say : — 

Whatever be the cause, ' tis sure that they who pry and pore 
Seem to meet with little gain, seem less happy than before. 
One after one they take their turn, nor have I one espied 
That does not slackly go away as if dissatisfied. 

" This is the dissatisfaction of inadequate knowledge. More knowledge brings more light, 
and more light brings deep pleasure and deep satisfaction. As it is with simply looking 
through the telescope, so it is with our spectroscopic observations. It is not the rainbow 
tinted beauty of the spectrum that we admire, but the minute displacement of its lines that we 
measure, and measure with pain and labor and fatigue, with faithful, conscientious, endless 
care. Again, in photography, what do you think it costs to produce a map of the stars with 
our immense camera.'' It is not simply to point the telescope, to prepare the plate, to expose 
it and develop it, for no instantaneous exposures will do here. Our exposures must be for two 
or three hours successively, and during this whole time the telescope must be made to follow 
the stars, from rising to setting, with perfect precision. During all this period the astrono- 
mer's eve must be there to see, and the astronomer's hand must be there to correct the sli<rht- 
est deviation in the pointing of the telescope itself. Three hours of exposure will give us a 
map of four square degrees in the sky. There are more than 40,000 square degrees in the 
whole sky, so that 10,000 maps are needed to cover it. Say twenty-five long years, 200 nights 
in each year, must be spent to cover the sky once only. Art is long and life is short. 

" The American public is deeply interested in all scientific results which can be stated in 
popular form, including those in astronomy, but there is almost only one point where the work 
of astronomical observatories touches the business interests of communities directly. This 
point is in the distribution of time by electric signals from an observatory to railroad and 



THE LICK OBSERVATORY. 179 

telegraph companies, to city and tower clocks, to private business firms, and to manufacturing 
and other corporations, for commercial purposes. Nearly every observatory of importance 
takes great pains to see that the cities and individuals in its vicinity are fully supplied with 
correct time. The advantages of these observatory time-services are manifold, and scarcely 
need be pointed out. A high degree of accuracy and uniformity is secured by them, and an 
immense amount of petty vexation is spared. Anyone who has looked at the public clocks of 
San Francisco, which often vary five to six minutes between themselves, and especially any- 
one who has lost an appointment through this variation, can appreciate this point. In all 
sea-ports the chronometers of merchant vessels can be well regulated and rated by the dropping 
of a time ball by an observatory; and this is a valuable indirect aid to navigation. A less 
obvious, but not less important, consideration is the connection thus formed between the 
more abstruse work of the observatory and the ordinary affairs of every day life, which brings 
continually before the public mind the practical application of astronomical science, and 
inspires it with confidence in the precision of scientific methods. The increased punctuality 
which is insured by the knowledge of the correct time is a positive moral benefit to the 
community. Punctuality is one of the minor mechanical virtues, but it is no less a virtue. 
It has been said that punctuality is the politeness of kings ; if so, it is positively obligatory 
upon us common people. 

"It is not so very long since the regulation of time in the United States, and indeed all over 
the world was considered a very minor matter. I have been informed by a naval officer now 
living, that when he was on duty at the Norfolk Navy Yard, the only time-piece depended 
upon to regulate the hours of hundreds of Government workmen was a sun-dial situated in the 
grounds. As is well-known, a sun-dial gives apparent solar time, which is sometimes fifteen 
minutes fast of mean time — the time ordinarily used — and sometimes sixteen minutes slow. 
This variation of half an hour apparently made no difference to the officers of a government 
service only a few years ago. The introduction of railways, the growth of large cities and the 
increasing value of the moments of men of business, have created quite another state of 
things. The public has been educated by these means ; but perhaps more rapidly and effect- 
ively by the use of the telegraph between cities separated by many degrees of longitude. A 
telegram from the House of Commons, in London, at one o'clock in the morning, reaches San 
Francisco in time to be printed in the later editions of the evening papers of the day before. 
Railway travelling, which is so common in America, where distances are large and the public 
highly intelligent, has also familiarized us with the fact that there are different standards of 
time and that these change from place to place. In November, 1884, all the railway times of 
the United States were suddenly changed from their old local values to one set of uniform 
standard values, and this was done without any apparent friction or annoyance ; yet the inter- 
ests of thousands of citizens were directly affected." 

We learned that the Observatory Buildings are open to visitors during office hours, every 
day in the year. 

An hour or so can be profitably occupied in viewing the different instruments, and the rest 
of the stay can be well spent in walks to the various reservoirs, from which magnificent views 
of the surrounding country can be had. At least an hour and a half of daylight should be 
allowed for the drive from the Summit to Smith Creek. 

Visitors are received at the Observatory to look through the great telescope every Sat- 
urday night, between the hours of seven and ten, and at these times only. 

Whenever the work of the observatory will allow, other telescopes will also be put at the 
disposition of visitors on Saturdays between the same hours (only). 



180 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

Usually three telescopes are available for this purpose — a 6-inch, a 12-inch, and the 36-inch 
equatorial. These will each be under the charge of an astronomer, and each will be kept 
directed at a different object in the sky. The visitor will be shown through the various build- 
ings, and will see the various instruments, and will hear their various uses described. With 
these three telescopes he can see three different and interesting objects, and in a short time he 
can gain some individual and real knowledge concerning the heavenly bodies. 

James Lick was born in Fredericksburg, Penn., Aug. 25, 1796, and died in San Francisco, 
Oct. I, 1876. He learned and practised the trade of organ and piano making in Hanover, 
Pennsylvania, and in Baltimore. In 1820 he was in business in Philadelphia. From there he 
went to Buenos Ayres, making and selling pianos. From the east coast of South America he 
came to the west, and finally in 1847 he drifted to San Francisco. 

Successful in business, but far more successful in his investments in land, he became rich 
and died, leaving an estate of some $3,000,000. This was all devoted to public uses. His 
deed of trust charged the Board of Lick Trustees to expend : — 

For a monument in San Francisco, to Francis Scott Key (author of the Star Spangled Ban- 
ner), the sum of $60,000. This monument has been made by the celebrated American sculp- 
tor, William W. Story, and it was dedicated in Golden Gate Park on July 4, 1888. 

For statuary to be placed in front of the San Francisco City Hall, and to be emblematic of 
three significant epochs in the history of the State of California, $100,000. 

For a Home for Old Ladies in San Francisco, $100,000. 

For Free Baths in San Francisco, $150,000. 

For a California Institute of iVIechanic Arts — a manual training school for the boys and 
girls of San Francisco, $540,000. 

For the Lick Observatory, to contain the most powerful telescope in the world, $700,000, 
besides many other important bequests, to the Society of California Pioneers, to the Califor- 
nia Academy of Sciences, and other beneficiaries. 

His exact provisions in regard to the Observatory were : — 

EXTRACT FROM MR. LICK's SECOND DEED OF TRUST. (SEPT. 21, 1 875.) 

" Third — To expend the sum of seven hundred thousand dollars ($700,000) for the purpose 
of purchasing land, and constructing and putting up on such land as shall be designated by 
the party of the first part, a powerful telescope, superior to and more powerful than any 
telescope yet made, with all the machinery appertaining thereto and appropriately connected 
therewith, or that is necessary and convenient to the most powerful telescope now in use, or 
suited to one more powerful than any yet constructed ; and also a suitable observatory con- 
nected therewith. The parties of the second part hereto, and their successors, shall, as soon 
as said telescope and observatory are constructed, convey the land whereupon the same may 
be situated, and the telescope, and the observatory, and all the machinery and apparatus con- 
nected therewith, to the corporation known as the ' Regents of the University of California; ' 
and if, after the construction of said telescope and observatory, there shall remain of said 
$700,000 in gold coin any surplus, the said parties of the second part shall turn over such sur- 
plus to said corporation, to be invested by it in bonds of the United States, or the city and 
county of San Francisco, or other good and safe interest-bearing bonds, and the income 
thereof shall be devoted to the maintenance of said telescope, and the observatory connected 
therewith, and shall be made useful in promoting science. And the said telescope and 
observatory are to be known as the ' Lick Astronomical Department of the University of 
California.' " 



THE LICK OBSERVATORY. 



181 



Among his favorite books were those of Andrew Jackson Davis, and Edgar A. Poe. 

At one time he thought seriously of building a marble pyramid larger than that of Cheops, 
on the shores of San Francisco Bay, but the fear that it might be destroyed in a possible bom- 
bardment of the city, led him to erect the observatory instead, use taking the place of beauty 
only. 

Mr. Lick several times expressed his desire to be buried at Mount Hamilton, near his great 
observatory, when it should be complete. During the summer of 1886 the brick foundation 
for the iron pier of the great equatorial was built by Mr. Fraser, and a suitable vault was pre- 
pared directly under the spot where the great telescope was to be and now is. In January 
1887 the Lick Trustees invited a number of representative gentlemen to act as an escort of 
honor during the transfer of Mr. Lick's remains from their temporary resting-place in San 
Francisco to their final tomb on Mount Hamilton. 




HOTEL VENDOME, SAN JOSE. 



At San Jose the cortege was met by a delegation of citizens, headed by the mayor of the city; 
and the coffin was transferred from the cars to a mountain wagon, and covered by the star- 
spangled banner. Mr. Fraser, who had been Mr. Lick's confidential man of business, and who 
was then superintendent of construction, conducted this wagon in the lead, and the body was 
followed by the escort. 

At the observatory, the procession was met by Captain Floyd, the president of the trustees, 
and, after a simple and impressive ceremony, the coffin was opened, the remains identified, and 
the casket sealed within a leaden case, and cemented beneath the massive blocks of stone 
which form the foundation of the great telescope which Mr. Lick has given to his fellow- 
citizens. 

Before the close of the ceremonies, Professor George Davidson, President of the California 
Academy of Sciences, read to the escort, and had signed by them, the following admirable 
document of idcntijicatioii which had been drawn up by him. 

This document was engrossed on parchment, placed between two fine tanned skins backed 



182 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

with silk, placed again between two leaden plates, soldered securely in a tin box, and finally- 
deposited within the coffin itself. 

DOCUMENT OF IDENTIFICATION. 

This is the body of 

James Lick, 

who was born in Fredericksburg, Penn., Aug. 25, 1796, and who died in San Francisco, Cal., 

October i, 1876. 

It has been identified by us, and in our presence has been sealed up and deposited in //«> 
Fojifidation Pier of the 

Great Equatorial Telescope 

this ninth day of January, 1S87. 

The base of the great pier bears a simple bronze tablet with the inscription — 

here lies the body of 
James Lick. 

His true monument is the Observatory which he reared, and his lasting memorial will be the 
results of those astronomical observations which his generosity has instituted and endowed. 




SAJ^ JOSE TO SUMMIT. 183 



CHAPTER XX. 

SAN JOSE TO SUMMIT. 

O fair young land, the youngest, fairest far of which our world can l)oast, 
Whose guardian planet, Evening's silver star, illumes thy golden coast; 
How art thou conquered, tamed in all the pride of savage beauty still ! 
How brought, O panther of the splendid hide, to know thy master's will ! 



Thy tawny hills shall bleed their purple wine, thy valleys yield their oil ; 
And Music, with her eloquence divine, persuade thy sons to toil. 
Till Hesper, as he trims his silver beam, no happier land shall see, 
And Earth shall find her old Arcadian dream restored again in thee ! 

— Bayard Taylor. 

DANIEL A. CLARK and family branched off at San Jose, and visited the Yosemite and 
Mariposa. Leaving Raymond by stage in a rain storm, which changed to one of snow as 
they crossed the divide, they drove through drifts from two to seven feet deep. Another storm 
at Inspiration Point added a foot of depth to the snow on the mountains, giving all the experi- 
ence in this line they desired, and later, as it melted, all the mud that heart could wish. When 
the clouds lifted, and revealed the whole valley, and the mountains in all their beauty and 
majesty, with the roaring torrents pouring from the lofty crags, and the interminable stretch of 
snow-clad peaks, all combining in a picture at once glorious and awe-inspiring, they uncovered 
their heads in reverence to Him who called it all into being. Three days were spent in the 
valley. At Wawona the fiats and slopes were covered with the pretty flower, " Baby Blue- 
eyes." With Stephen Cunningham, guardian of the grove, they spent a day among the big 
trees, having barley bags tied to their feet to keep them from sinking in the snow, which was 
here very deep. They reached Mr. Clark's old mining camp at Mariposa just as a Mexican 
was reading the burial service of the Indian chief, Captain Jack. The warriors gathered around 
the grave, and kept up a peculiar, slow-moving dance and chant for nearly an hour. Blankets 
and other articles were buried with the chief, but he was in a modern coffin. The beauty of 
Marij^osa remains, though its placer mines are things of the past. Mr. Clark found a number 
of old mining friends, however, and had a very pleasant visit. 

At eleven o'clock p. m. Monday, May 5, our party started northward from San Jose, passing 
through Oakland and Benicia in the night, and arriving at Sacramento at five o'clock the next 
morning. After breakfast many of the party paid a farewell visit to the Crocker Art Gallery, 
wherein are stored so many interesting relics of the past. Here we saw, under a large picture 
of the Yosemite cataract, the beautiful tie of California laurel, the four rails, and the golden 
spike which were made famous at the completion of our first transcontinental railroad, at 
Promontory, May 10, 1869. A few sat for photographs at the studio of Mr. Hodson, whose 



184 



PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



work I have never seen excelled. On nearly the same spot, in 1853, I paid half an ounce in 
gold dust, or $8, for a daguerreotype, which represents me in mining costume with a sombrero 
on my head. At eleven o'clock our train starts, and we have nothing to do but to enjoy the 




scenery, and tell how different things were when we started for home in the fifties. Then we 
had to sell out our claims, if they were worth anything, dispose of our outfit, and go to San 
Francisco, whence we took passage for home by way of Panama; for few who had succeeded 
in the mines were willing to make the long trip around Cape Horn. Men would submit to 



THE RETURN IJV 1849 185 

delay when going to the mines, but when returning to their friends, the most direct route was 
none too short. 

Mr. A. C. Ferris, of Hackensack, N. J., in the Century for April, 1891, well describes the 
hardships of the Isthmus : — 

"Late in the month of November, 1849, ^ reached San Francisco on my way back from the 
mines to the States. Two hundred sail of vessels were anchored in the bay, and many 
thousands of gold seekers who had returned from the fields, fortunate or desperate, were 
waiting to secure homeward passage. 

" I had taken the precaution to secure a berth on the old steamship Unicorn, commanded by 
Captain David D. Porter, U. S. N., and carrying the United States mail. In hunting up a 
quantity of perishable goods, which had been sent to me by Wardle & Co.'s Express, I met 
their San Francisco agent, Mr. Wadleigh. My goods I found 'stored away' in a vacant lot, 
exposed to wind and weather, and gone to utter wreck and ruin. Just at this time, by one of 
the compensations of fortune, Mr. Wadleigh found himself in a difficulty. The young man, 
in whose care a valuable package of express matter, — gold dust, etc., — was to be taken to 
New York, became suddenly very ill. Without further knowledge of me than that I purposed 
to sail on the Unicorn, and had had goods consigned to his company, Mr. Wadleigh offered 
me liberal compensation, if I would take charge of the gold and valuables, and deliver them 
in New York. I undertook the commission, and the Unicorn sailed on December i. 

" Twenty-eight days from San Francisco, we anchored off the City of Panama. Boats put off 
from the shore for us, and while the cathedral's bells were ringing, for one dollar each we 
were carried ashore on the backs of strong porters. The valuable packages of which I had 
charge were also safely deposited on the sands. At that early period there were no transport- 
ation facilities for crossing the Isthmus of Panama, except such as were supplied b}' native 
carriers, boatmen, and the owners of mules, who had begun to find in this business a new and 
profitable industry. Consequently _we were met by a number of natives, some with 'cargo' 
mules, and others with mules for riding; still others offered their own broad shoulders, rigged 
with a sort of chair, on which one could sit high above their heads, or upon which, with equal 
security, a trunk or a bale of merchandise could be freighted. 

"My express matter was securely packed in a strong box, and needed two men to handle it. 
Its value amounted to a considerable sum, and was betrayed by the weight of the box. I could 
not carry the box myself, and I did not dare to take my eyes off it, as the natives, I knew, 
were neither honest nor trustworthy. I then and there realized, for the first time, the grave 
responsibility I had taken upon myself ; for, if the native carriers should appropriate the 
package, or a band of robbers should attack us and capture it, how could I return to New 
York with the explanation that it had been stolen ? Who would believe me 1 If I were mur- 
dered, and never heard of again, would it not be reported that I was a defaulter? 

" For my breakfast I had only three crackers which I had brought from the ship ; and, 
having hired two dark-skinned natives at $16 each, and two mules at $5 each, one to carry my 
package and the other for me to ride, I set out, keeping all the while a sharp eye on my mule- 
teers and the cargo mule. 

" The limited supply of clothing with which I had embarked on the Unicorn, the fragmentary 
remains of a wardrobe that had been six months in contact with dirt, mud, and water in gold 
digging and gold washing, had been gradually thrown into the Pacific Ocean, as it became 
the home of the pestiferous insects from the cracks and crannies and joints of the old emigrant 
ship. As I started from Panama, my attire was a pair of much much worn stout leather slip- 
pers, the remnant of a dirty straw hat, a thin summer coat, and trousers much worn and much 



186 PIOJYEEBS OF '49. 

be-patched, and so discolored that the original hue was lost, and a blue woolen blanket that 
had also seen hard service. This airy costume did very well for the alternate showers and sun 
of the Isthmus, but I found it rather inappropriate when I landed in New York in midwinter. 
I was, however, not alone in this experience. 

" The climate of the Isthmus proved very trying. The sun would seem to me to be putting 
forth its best efforts to bake my head and to blister my body, and not without some success, 
when a sudden change would come, and the rain — no, the rain cloud — would drop down 
upon me. A few minutes later the sun would again obtain the mastery, and the steam would 
arise from my heated and saturated clothing, only to be drenched by another deluge of rain. 

"The first part of the trail was over water, stones, and mud — mostly mud. The mule, 
stumbling along over the hidden stones, would first pitch me over on his head ; then his hind 
feet sinking deeply in the mud would throw me back toward his tail. Not being pleased with 
my evolutions, every now and then the mule would suddenly lie down under me, and plunge 
me knee-deep into the mud. 

" After having passed this first section, which was a trail through chaparral, we came to 
the old Spanish route, worn down to a depth of from eight to twelve feet into the very rocks, 
from having become a water-course in the rainy season. The attrition of the feet of the 
mules had formed holes in the rocks to the depth of a foot or more at regular stepping 
distances apart; and as a mule lifted each foot out of one of these holes, and placed it care- 
fully into the next, his body would sway from side to side, knocking, thumping, and scraping 
the rider against the rocks that fenced him in on each side. Through all these athletic and 
gymnastic exercises I never dared to take my eyes off my cargo mule and his drivers. In 
many places the passage was so narrow that two mules could not pass; and at the entrances 
to such defiles my drivers would halt, and, giving a yell like an Indian war-whoop, wait for an 
answering yell from any muleteer who had already entered the defile at the other end. If one 
had entered, they waited until he emerged. By nightfall I safely reached the few huts called 
Cruces, tired, wet, hungry, and bruised. Having paid my muleteers, and deposited my 
treasure inside a hut, I asked the hotnbre who acted as proprietor for a cup of coffee. ^ No 
hai, Sefior,'' he replied. There was nothing to be had to eat. My three crackers were all the 
food of that day. 

" It was hot, misty, and muggy, and the air failed to satisfy the lungs. I sat astride that 
jDackage all night, trying to sleep, with my wet blanket around me for protection against the 
swarming insects. The next morning I made an early start for the river, still fasting, and 
hired a bungo or dugout, with a crew of three natives, who agreed to pole me down the river 
to Chagres, for the sum of $25. Perched upon my treasure package, I began my downward 
passage. The second day was not much of an improvement on the first. The sun and rain 
were no less busy. I could watch the treacherous boatmen better than I had been able to 
watch my muleteers ; but I never lost consciousness during the long, wearisome trip, knowing 
that at any time they could upset the canoe, drown me, let the package of gold sink, and 
recover it at their leisure. Just before nightfall we landed upon a low bank where stood a 
small native hut of brushwood and leaves. Here the boatmen procured some rice, which they 
boiled in a pot, but they could not be persuaded or bribed to share any of it with me. They 
were hungry, as they had eaten nothing since we started, and the supply was very small. I 
was hungry — more than hungry; I was ravenous. Close by stood another little hut, and to it 
I went in eager pursuit of something to eat. I found there a small boy, who, for a dollar, 
offered to sell me two sections of a lizard, or iguana, which he had skinned. He also offered 
to lend me a tin cup in which to boil them. I was hungry enough to devour almost anything, 



THE BETURM IX 1849. 187 

but I had seen these disgusting looking creatures, a foot or more in length, running up and 
down the trees, and I declined the purchase. The boy then produced an egg — an egg of 
uncertain parentage, to be sure ; but without a thought of the laws of evolution I bought it. I 
placed it in the boatmen's pot of boiling rice; but it must have been to them forbidden food, 
for they objected, and their outbreak was quieted only when I pointed to my revolver. All 
that dismal night was spent in slowly descending the river amidst the swamp vapors, and the 
poisonous miasma of the lowlands. The noises made by the occupants of the muddy jungles, 
that spread over the submerged land on each side, were at times perfectly appalling, often 
seeming to proceed from the spreading branches directly over our heads; and insects both 
small and great kept up such an incessant clatter and rattle that nothing in the way of conver- 
sation was possible. 

" About nine o'clock the next morning we were landed in good order, or rather disorder, on 
the deck of a small river steamer, brought from New York for communication between the 
shore at Chasfres and the steamers at anchor in the roadstead. I reached the steamer none 
too soon, for I was physically exhausted. Never before or since have my vitality and physical 
endurance been so tried. Having stored my express matter safely on this little steamer, I was 
at last at liberty to search for food. 

" Two or three little huts that I visited could furnish me nothing; but an enterprising Yan- 
Icee was already erecting a ' hotel ' not far from the landing-place, and, speedy application 
having been made there, I was told that at eleven o'clock the proprietor would be ready for 
his clamorous and hungr\' patrons. This hotel was built simply of boards, and was only one 
story high. It consisted at that time of but one unfinished room, about loo feet by twentv, 
used for a dining-room. The kitchen was an arrangement of stones, out of doors but near by. 
The building had been put up by five young carpenters, who had been induced by the high 
"wages off ered to defer their trip to California, whither they were bound, until they had erected 
it. Four of them had been buried at Chagres ; the fifth returned to New York sick with Cha- 
gres fever, and died as the steamer was entering the harbor. 

" I waited anxiously for that breakfast, and at eleven o'clock it was served. The hotel was 
closed till the bell rang, and then there was a rush and a jam to find places upon the rough 
board seats at the long pine table. The bill of fare was hard bread, boiled mackerel, and cof- 
fee without milk. I was one of the first at the table. The hunger that I had, after all the 
anxiety and exposure and sleeplessness of more than forty-eight hours, made this a breakfast 
that will never be forgotten. Never have I since enjoyed a ' Pioneer' dinner at Delmonico's 
or Martinelli's with half the relish with which I enjoyed that boiled salt mackerel and that 
muddy coffee. One dollar was charged for the meal, and over a thousand persons partook of 
it. That night we spread our blankets on the deck of the small steamer, which was literally 
■covered with tired humanity, but we were all roused out of our deep sleep by a wretch who 
flashed a lantern into our faces and demanded ten cents tribute from each for our lodgings. 
The air was blue with profanity, but the fee was paid, and then we gathered our tattered blank- 
ets about us and lay down again, too tired to dream. The next day the sick and debilitated 
.arrived, some on stretchers, some on mules ; others had been left to die in Panama, and now 
lie with many other gold-hunters in the American burial-ground. The appearance presented 
l)y these invalids caused a number who had started for the gold mines to return home with us 
•on the Chesapeake. 

" We reached the North River pier in New York on a Sunday morning, about the 14th of 
January, and the Chesapeake was at once placed in the dry-dock, as a storm off Cape Hatteras 
Jiad so battered her that she could no longer be kept afloat. It was a cold morning, and the 



188 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

change from the tropics — we were still wearing slippers, thin clothing, and battered straw 
hats — caused us to wrap ourselves again in our well-worn blankets. A crowd soon collected 
on the wharf and received us gaily and cordially, greeting us with clieers as we landed, the 
small boys running after our carriages and shouting " Californians ! " as they ran. Although 
it was Sunday morning, clothing stores were readily opened for us to obtain more seasonable 
apparel, for were we not disbursing gold from California? 

" I lost no time in depositing the express matter safely at the office of Wardle & Co., and I 
rested well in the consciousness that the responsibility so thoughtlessly assumed was at last 
faithfully discharged." 

Every member of our party had an interesting collection of specimens of minerals, pro- 
grammes, newspaper clippings, and souvenirs. Among the most beautiful mementoes I saw, 
were two badges of eighteen-carat gold. Each had in the centre a grizzly bear, of repousse 
gold, with a single star above and the word " Pioneer" below. On the other side was "The 
Society of California Pioneers to Mrs. W. H. Thomes, 1890," on one, and "to Mrs. B. F. 
Whittemore " on the other. 

We are on the Southern Pacific Company's Ogden line, and are passing through a section 
wherein every hill and valley, every rock and river flat have been examined by one or another 
of our party in our prospecting tours. But some of the old hills have been washed away, and 
some of the valleys filled by the hydraulic miners; and even where the country is unchanged 
in its topography, it appears in such a strange new dress of fruit trees, vines, and flowers, 
that we have to look closely to recognize localities once almost as familiar as the homes of 
our childhood. As we pass rapidly through Rocklin, Penryn, Newcastle, Auburn, Clipper 
Gap, and New England Mills, many of us look out at the places where we camped in '49, and 
wonder if we shall ever gaze upon them again. 

At Colfax, where we halted half an hour for wood and water, we improved the time in look- 
ing around Illinoistown, as the place was formerly called. Attracted by the sight of so many 
men with gray heads, a crowd of the inhabitants collected, and asked us questions in genuine 
Yankee style until the thing grew monotonous, and Captain Thomes decided to give them 
their desired measure of information pressed down, heaped up, and running over. " I sup 
pose," said a citizen, "that you all made your fortunes in the mining days, and that you return 
rich to look at the old places." " Yes," replied Captain Thomes, "of the 160 people on our 
train, 125 are men; and of these there is hardly one that is taxed for less than $500,000." 
Just then Patriarch Browne was seen approaching. "I wish," continued the captain, " I had 
one hundredth part of that man's wealth." "Who is he?" was eagerly asked by several 
bystanders. "Abraham Lincoln Rothschild." "Will he speak to us?" "Oh! yes, most 
certainly ! He is a perfect gentleman, and a nephew of Baron Rothschild." 

Captain Thomes and the rest of us were annoyed by no more questions, but Patriarch 
Browne found himself the lion of the hour. But he had had a hint of what was coming, and 
was equal to the occasion. He shook hands with the people with a benignity that is probably 
often spoken of at Colfax, in terms highly creditable to the family of Rothschild. 

From Colfax we continue the ascent of the Sierra Nevadas. On the slopes, here and there, 
can still be seen the wooden tunnels formerly used to carry water to the mines. 

A few miles beyond Colfax the railroad "doubles Cape Horn." The road here rounds 
a mountain promontory on a little shelf 2,000 feet above the bed of the American River, which 
appears at this height like a slender thread of silver. Stretching away to the right is a deep 
ravine, bordered by mountain walls, along which may be seen the stage road, which leads to 
the old mining town of Iowa Hill, where S. W. Foster, of the Boston _/£??^r«^/, was located in 



DOUBLING CAPE HORJf. 



189 




1S54. The train 
was stopped at 
Cape Horn to 
give us time to 
enjo}- the pictur- 
esque view. The 
river roars and 
fo a m s as it 
rushes along its 
rock bed far be- 
low. We can sit 
in the cars and 
let stones drop 
almost perpen- 
dicularly into 
the water. Now 
we cross the 
American River 
by a strong 
bridge, and roll 
along the road 
bed of solid 
rock, just wide 
enough for our 
train. When it 
was decided to build the road here, there was no 
foothold on the almost perpendicular cliffs whose 
sides were to furnish the necessary support. But 
American perseverance lowered men in slings from 
the summits, and by blasting and picking the 
victory was achieved. We are now ascending the 
mountains beside the American River Canon, and 
many magnificent views are had of that gigantic 
rift, while Bear and Yuba River Valleys also furnish 
some grand scenery. Gold Run, Dutch Flat (be- 
yond which, on the old stage route to Nevada City, 
are the mining camps of Little York, You Bet, and 
Red Dog), Alta, Shady Run, and Blue Canon are 
succeeding stations. All along this part of the 
route may be seen many traces of the old placer 
mining, and of the later hydraulic process, which 
washed away even the hills themselves. We are 
meanwhile climbing the steep walls of the Sierra, 
and snow sheds become familiar. These wonder- 
ful wooden tunnels cover over forty miles of the 
railway, and cost from $8,000 to $12,000 per mile. 
In places where masonry was needed, the cost was 



190 PI0XEER8 OF '49. 

$30,000 per mile. They were suggested by the practical mind of Vice-President Charles- 
Crocker, recently deceased. Precautions against fire are very thorough. Corrugated plates 
of iron separate the buildings into sections, and in the great ten-mile shed there are automatic 
electric fire alarms. At the summit, a locomotive, with a tank of water, is kept fired up, in 
readiness to flood any section at a moment's warning. 

We are now in the arms of winter and not a bare spot of earth can be seen beyond our 
tracks. At one place we stopped near the house of a farmer, who said the snow was six feet 
deep on the level, on his farm, fourteen feet deep on some of the mountains, and forty feet in 
some of the canons. Yet that same morning we passed through fields and gardens radiant 
with summer bloom and bright with the hues of the semi-tropics. Truly, great are the snow- 
sheds of the Sierras ! 

From Sacramento to Summit, 107 miles, the ascent is 6,987 feet, and of this 5,258 feet — 
twenty-two feet less than a mile — is made in sixty-two miles, from Clipper Gap to Summit. 
The ascent from Shady Run to Summit, a distance of thirty-one miles is 2,8Si feet, or over 
half a mile. On the eastern slopes the grades are lighter. 




BO^^JVEE LAKE. 191 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE DONNER PARTY. 

Let Sacramento's herdsmen heed what sound the winds bring down, 

Of footsteps on the crisping snow, from cold Nevada's crown ! 

— Whittier. 

My sky is black and lowering, and seems closing about me like the grave. I tunnel through the days- 
in total darkness. 

— POE. 

Just east of the summit, towards the north, we caught sight of "one of the fairest, and most 
picturesque lakes in all the Sierras. Above, and on either side, are lofty mountains, with cas- 
tellated granite crests, while below, at the mouth of the lake, a grassy, meadowy valley widens 
out, and extends almost to Truckee. The body of water is three miles long, one and a half 
miles wide, and 483 feet in depth. 

"Tourists and picnic parties annually flock lo its shores, and Bierstadt has made it the sub- 
ject of one of his finest, grandest paintings. In summer its willowy thickets, its groves of 
tamarack and forests of pine are the favorite haunts and resting places of the quail and 
grouse. Beautiful speckled mountain trout plentifully abound in its crystalline waters. A 
rippling breeze usually wimples and dimples its laughing surface, but in calmer moods it 
reflects, as in a polished mirror, the loft}-, overhanging mountains, with every stately pine,, 
bounding rivulet, blossoming shrub, waving fern, and high above all on the right, the clinging, 
thread-like line of the snow sheds of the Central Pacific. When the railroad was being con- 
structed, 3,000 people dwelt on its shores. The surrounding forests resounded with the music 
of axes and saws, and the terrific blasts exploded in the lofty overshadowing cliffs, filled the 
canons with reverberating thunders, and hurled huge boulders high in the air over the lake's 
quivering bosom. 

" In winter it is almost as popular a pleasure resort as during the summer. The jingling of 
sleighbells, and the shouts and laughter of skating parties can be heard almost constantly. 
The lake forms the grandest skating park on the Pacific coast. 

"Yet this same Donner Lake was the scene of one of the most thrilling, heart-rending trage- 
dies ever recorded in California history. Interwoven with the very name of the lake are 
memories of a tale of destitution, loneliness, and despair which borders on the incredible. It 
is a tale that has been repeated in many a miner's cabin, by many a hunter's camp-fire, and in 
many a frontiersman's home, and everywhere it has been listened to with bated breath." 

Although others traveled with them part of the way, — and some of these were not with them 
at the start, — the genuine Donner party, so far as its experience was peculiar, consisted of 
George Donner, Tamsen his wife, Frances E., Georgia A., and Eliza P., their children; also 
Elitha C. and Leanna C, children by a former wife ; Jacob Donner, brother of George,. 
Elizabeth his wife, George, Mary M., Isaac, Lewis, and Samuel, their children; also Solomon. 




< 
►J 



z 
z 

o 
a 

o 









THE DOJfJ^EE PARTY. 193 

and William Hook, children of Elizabeth by an earlier marriage; James Frazier Reed, 
Margaret W. his wife, Virginia E. (now Mrs. J. M. Murphy), Martha F. (called Patty, and 
now Mrs. Frank Lewis), James F., Jr., and Thomas K., their children ; also Mrs. Sarah 
Keyes, mother of Mrs. Reed ; Baylis Williams and his half-sister Eliza, John Denton, Milton 
Elliott, James Smith, Walter Herron, and Noah James, the above all from Springfield, 111.; 
Franklin Ward Graves, Elizabeth his wife, Mary A., William C, Eleanor, Lovina, Nancy, 
Jonathan B., F. W., Jr., Elizabeth, Jr., and Mrs. Sarah Fosdick, their children, the last 
accompanied by her husband, Jay Fosdick, and a friend of Jay, John Snyder, all from 
Marshall county, 111.; Patrick Breen, Margaret his wife, John, Edward J., Patrick, Jr., Simon 
P., James F., Peter, and Isabella M., their children, from Keokuk, la., as also Patrick Dolan; 
William H. Eddy, Eleanor his wife, James P. and Margaret, their children, from Belleville, 
111.; Lavina Murphy, a widow, John L., Mary M., Lemuel B., William G., Simon P., Mrs. 
Harriet F. Pike, and Mrs. Sarah A. C. Foster, her children, Mrs. Pike accompanied by 
lier husband William M., and their children, Naomi L. and Catherine, and Mrs. Foster by her 
husband William M., and their infant son George, the Fosters hailing from St. Louis and 
the others from Tennessee ; William McCutchen, Amanda M. his wife, and Harriet their 
child, from Ray county. Mo. ; Lewis Keseberg, PhiUipine his wife, Ada and L., Jr., their 
•children, also a Mr. and Mrs. Wolfinger, Joseph Rhinehart, Augustus Spitzer, and Charles 
Burger, from Germany; Samuel Shoemaker, Springfield, O.; Charles T. Stanton, Chicago; 
a Mr. Halloran, from St. Joseph, Mo.; a Mr. Hardcoop, from Antwerp, Belgium; Antoine, 
from New Mexico ; John Baptiste, a Spaniard ; and Lewis and Salvador, two Indians sent to 
relieve the party by Captain John A. Sutter, Sacramento, — ninety persons. 

Nearly all came from localities then but sparsely settled, affording abundant opportunities 
to " grow up with the country ; " yet, tempted by the fame of the fruitfulness, the healthful- 
ness, and the almost tropical beauty of the land bordering the Pacific, and impelled by the 
restless, adventurous spirit of the pioneer, they raised the cry, "Ho! for California!" and 
with hearts beating high with hope, set out from Springfield, 111., early in April, 1846. There 
■were old men, with trusting families around them ; mothers, whose very lives were wrapped 
up in their children ; men, in the full strength of manhood's prime ; maidens, in all the fresh- 
ness and sweetness of budding womanhood ; laughing children, and babes at the breast. 
Their road was difficult, little known, and in places almost unbroken, beset by wild animals 
and savage men; hunger, thirst, and fever were imminent; and trackless mountains were to 
be crossed, where, if belated, they must encounter biting cold, blinding snows, and utter 
destitution. But they felt no presentiment of coming doom, and gathered the sweet wild 
flowers of the prairie, as they marched, and passed many an evening in singing, dancing, and 
innocent plays. 

On the fourth night out, a fire started somehow about half a mile from camp, and the west wind, 
blowing fierce and strong, carried the flames in great surging gusts through the tall prairie 
grass. It was very dark, and resin weeds, which here grow in bunches to the height of four 
or five feet could be seen between the fire and the guards. As the flames swayed past the weeds, 
the impression was very naturally produced that the latter were moving in the opposite direc- 
tion. Believing that the Indians had set fire to the grass, and were moving in immense num- 
bers between them and the fire to stampede the cattle and massacre the entire party, the 
aroused camp, armed to the teeth, marched out to give battle. It was a good joke, but the 
fact that it was bandied for weeks shows that the party was unusually light-hearted. 

Near Manhattan, Kan., on May 30, they buried Mrs. Sarah Keyes, their first loss, in a cof- 
fvn. carefully fashioned from the trunk of a cottonwood. 



194 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

With 150 pounds of flour and seventy-five pounds of meat apiece, and plenty of rice, beans,, 
and corn meal; with game abundant, and thus far no scarcity of water; with wood for fuel 
usually at hand, and in its absence dry " buffalo chips " for the gathering, they had felt no pressing 
need, but that of having their wagon tires set, up to July 3, when a portion of the party reached 
Fort Laramie, and on the morrow gaily celebrated the national holiday. Nothing could seem 
more auspicious than their experience thus far, but appearances are deceptive, and in this very 
freedom from trouble and care lay, no doubt, the germ of all their future misfortunes. Toil, 
danger, and privation bind men together ; while ease, security, and plenty, too often breed dis- 
sension. Already signs of disagreement could be noted, which increased until, owing to slight 
differences of opinion as to the best route and the want of strict obedience to the captain they 
had chosen, the party broke up into five companies, and remained separated for a day or two,, 
the five camps being pitched one night within a space five miles in diameter. Brought 
together by necessity at the ford of a wide river, they " made up," and shook hands with the 
utmost good feeling. Yet the very next morning they were late in starting, delayed by a long- 
aro-ument as to the best plan for the day. These dissensions began under Captain Russell, 
their early leader, and continued under George Donner, who was chosen captain July 20, at 
Little Sandy River. From travelers meeting and overtaking them, they learned that 538 wag- 
ons were on the plains that summer, bound for California and Oregon. Why did they separate 
so widely ? 

At Fort Bridger, Messrs. Bridger and Vasquez, who had a direct interest in furnishing the 
supplies that would be needed, urged them to turn from the old Fort Hall road, and take the 
newly-discovered " Hastings Cut-off" by Salt Lake, which latter, they said, could be reached 
in a week. Most of the emigrants went on by Fort Hall, but eighty-seven chose the "cut-off," 
which, pleasant at first, proved so rugged from high mountains and precipitous canons that a 
month was spent on the way to the lake, twenty-one miles of the journey requiring twenty- 
eio-ht days. Encamped at last near the shore September 3 and 4, Mr. Halloran, a poor con- 
sumptive seeking health, died, and was buried in a bed of salt. A day or two later they halted 
in the valley called " Twenty Wells," where good water and green grass were abundant ; and 
then, without seeing either, they struggled for seventy-five miles, across — 

" A region of drought, where no river glides, 
Nor rippling brook with osiered sides; 
Where sedgy poo), nor bubbling fount, 
Nor tree, nor cloud, nor misty mount 
Appears to refresh the aching eye, 
But the barren earth and the burning sky, 
And the blank horizon round and round 
Spread, void of living sight and sound." 

Tames F. Reed's eighteen oxen, wild with thirst, stampeded and left nine persons destitute, 
800 miles from California, with only one cow and one steer to draw their load. Carrying the 
children in their arms, the adults toiled over the burning sands until they reached the camp ; 
when, for a week, the whole Donner company made unavailing search for the lost cattle. 
At last F. W. Graves and Patrick Breen each lent an ox ; the cow and the steer were yoked ; 
and such property as the Reeds could not carry was " cached " or buried. A careful inven- 
tory of the provisions of the whole party showed that there was not enough to last until Cal- 
ifornia could be reached, even with pleasant weather; while that night the snowflakes, falling 
silently and soft and slow on the hills around them, came heavy and chill upon the bravest 



A LOVE EPISODE. 195 

hearts as they thought of the lateness of the season with the mountains yet to be crossed. In 
solemn council it was decided that their forlorn hope lay in having one or two push on with 
prayers for relief to Captain Sutter, and return with supplies. For this perilous task Wm. 
McCutchen and C. T. Stanton volunteered, and immediately started. 

Of many interesting love episodes, the tenderest was the betrothal of handsome, strong John 
Snyder, twenty-three years old, and the life of the party, to Mary A. Graves, nineteen, tall and 
stately, with classic Grecian features, and a disposition that endeared her to all. One day it 
seemed as if nothing went right, and at last even pleasant John Snyder took umbrage at what 
he considered Milton Elliott's gross fault in handling cattle, and used some very bad lan- 
guage, at the same time beating his own oxen terribly. Just then James F. Reed, returning 
from hunting, remonstrated with Snyder, and offered the use of his four cattle, but met a harsh 
refusal. Reed tried to calm the excited man, but both were quick-tempered, although usually 
warm friends ; and as words rapidly multiplied on both sides, Snyder struck Reed three heavy 
blows on the head with the butt of a whipstock. Mrs. Reed sprang between, as the stick was 
raised again. Her husband, although blinded by blood, and dazed and stunned, still knew that 
his wife was in danger, and cried appealingly, "John ! John ! " but down came the stroke full 
upon her head and shoulders. The next instant Reed's hunting-knife fell, and Snyder stag- 
gered, speechless and death-stricken. Immediately regretting the deed, despite the provoca- 
tion, Reed threw the knife away, and, pushing aside his wife and daughters, who sought to 
staunch his wounds, went to aid the dying. John lived but fifteen minutes, and his burial was 
followed by a council, at which the feeling ran so high that, although the act had been one of 
self-defence, a wagon-tongue was propped up by an ox-yoke, with the intention of hanging 
Reed then and there ; but calmer counsel finally commuted the sentence to banishment with- 
out food or weapons. His daughter Virginia, however, managed to follow him, and carry his 
faithful rifle, with powder and lead in abundance. Leaving her in tears, he set out, accompa- 
nied by Walter Herron, at the wish of the latter. His family, left almost without a team, with- 
out husband and father, and but scantily supplied with provisions, follov/ed the party in gloom, 
lightened only when occasionally they would find a letter left in the top of some bush, or in a 
split stick by the wayside, or feathers which he would scatter when he killed a goose or a 
duck. But at last a time came when these were found no more, and Mrs. Reed had already 
begun to fail, dying of a broken heart; when suddenly all her life, and energy, and determina- 
tion were again aroused into being by the danger, the fear, the certainty that, but for almost 
superhuman efforts, her children must starve before her eyes. 

Only enough to support life was allowed now to any one, the cattle, too, finding only scanty 
grass of poor quality. The water was filled with alkali and other poisonous deposits, and 
oxen and horses died. Indians, too cowardly to attack by day, would shoot arrows into oxen 
by night. One morning they stole twenty-one head during the temporary absence of the 
guard at breakfast. Men, women, and children had to walk all day, and carry heavy loads 
besides; and only the sick, the little children, and the utterly exhausted were ever allowed 
to ride. Mr. Hardcoop, sixty years old, became sick, feeble, and almost helpless, yet he 
staggered on until his swollen feet actually burst, when his only companion pushed on to 
catch up with the train. It was too late then for succor, and the poor old man was left to die 
of his sufferings, of cold and hunger, or by wild animals, or Indians, — whichever in mercy 
should afford most speedy relief. Five days later, October 14, Mr. Wolfinger got behind, and 
was murdered. Keseberg was suspected, but later Rhinehart made partial confession. Mrs. 
Wolfinger supposed the Indians had killed her husband, and hired Charles Burger to drive 
the team thereafter. 



196 



FIOJVEEES OF '49. 



On October 19, C. T. Stanton of the forlorn hope was met with seven mules, five loaded 
with flour and dried beef from Captain Sutter, who sent them to total strangers, together with 
two Indian vaqueros for guides, without the slightest compensation or security. McCutchen 
had been severely ill, and was unable to return. The situation of affairs was now completely 
changed, and by a prompt advance the party could have passed the summits before the storms 
began ; but for some reason it was decided to rest the cattle three or four days near the 
present site of Reno, before ascending the difficult Sierras. 

Apprehensive, however, of further scarcity, it was decided to again send two men to 
Captain Sutter for aid; and two brothers-in-law, William Foster and William Pike, volun- 
teered, and had already begun to clean an old-fashioned " pepper-box " pistol to take with 
them, when wood was called for to replenish the fire. One of the men offered to get it, and, 
in order to do so, handed the pistol to the other. Somehow, in the transfer. Pike was 
wounded, and died in twenty minutes, leaving a widow, a daughter of three, and a babe of a 
few months. 




rOt;:':\^<?i^v 



ENCOUNTERING THE BLIZZARD. 

To the Donner party this death seemed ominous of an overshadowing fate. In sullen 
sadness they resumed their journey. What was their dismay, as they caught a glimpse of the 
mountains, to see the storm clouds of winter already assembling around the loftier crests ! 
October 23, they became thoroughly alarmed at the constantly darkening clouds, and pushed 
forward with all haste, but too late ; for on the 28th, at Prosser Creek, three miles below 
Truckee, they found themselves encompassed with six inches of snow, with the mountain 



SJfOW-BOimD IJV THE SIERRAS. 197 

summits buried from two to five feet. In consternation and wildest confusion they tried to 
cross tlie mountain barrier, but without concert of action or even harmony of plan the thino- 
was impossible; and on the 31st, baffled, wearied, disheartened, the party met at the foot of 
the lake to which their sufferings were to give a name. 

At last, after many desultory efforts, a systematic and determined attempt was made to 
cross the summit over the trackless drifts ; and, through a dismal, drizzling, discouraging rain, 
they toiled amid large boulders and irregular, jutting cliffs, along dizzy precipices and yawning 
chasms, and through, across, or around deep canons, until, just before nightfall, they reached 
the precipice where the present wagon road intercepts the snow-sheds of the Central Pacific 
Railroad. Here, for the first time since they chose the Hastings Cut-Off, the great and over- 
whelming danger made them forget their petty animosities, and all agreed upon a plan for the 
morrow. The mules and cattle were to be slain, and their meat stored for emergencies. The 
wagons, with their contents, were to be left at the lake, and all were to cross the summits on 
foot. Encouraged, they sought their weary couches ; but that night " He, who holds the winds 
in His fist, gathered the snows of the North, and blew them " upon the devoted companv in 
large, steady masses. One of the Indians silently wrapped his blanket around him, and, in 
deepest dejection, seated himself beside a tall pine, moving only to keep from being covered. 
Mrs. Reed spread a shawl, placed her four children in it, put another shawl over them, and sat 
by their side through the long hours of darkness, occasionally shaking the upper shawl. The 
storm continued several days, with but slight interruptions. The mules and oxen, blinded 
and bewildered, strayed away and were buried. The mules were never found. Such of the 
oxen as were found alive were killed, and the meat of those found dead was carefully col- 
lected, preserved by the cold. Brush sheds were built, covered with pine boughs, coats, quilts, 
and the like, and in these they prepared to pass the winter, — eighty-one persons. It was 
resolved, however, that, at the earliest possible moment, the strongest should try to cross and 
reach the settlements. November 12, a dozen or more made the attempt, but had to return. 
Most of these were unmarried men, with no one in the camp dependent upon them. They 
made the first attempt to escape, and, failing, most of them never again rallied or even strug- 
gled for existence. On the other hand, the heads of dependent families hoped against hope, 
and struggled to the last. Mr. F. W. Graves, who was from Vermont, was the only one who 
knew how snow-shoes were constructed. He made fifteen pairs of the ox-bows and rawhide, 
and with these, after various unsuccessful attempts had been made without such aid, a party 
of fifteen succeeded. Who were they ? Mothers, whose babes would starve unless they went ; 
fathers, whose wives and children would perish otherwise; and children, whose aged parents 
could not survive unless the children, by leaving, increased the parents' share of food ; the two 
Indian guides ; the brave C. T. Stanton, who said, " I will bring help to these famishing peo- 
ple, or lay down my life; "and the Irishman, Patrick Dolan, who in order that his beef, of 
which he had enough to last him until spring, m.ight be used for the destitute Reed famil}-. 

Tliey traveled at best but four to six miles daily, suffering from hunger, exertion, and snow 
blindness. Stanton suffered worst of all; he would fall behind all day, and come into camp 
late. On the fifth morning, noticing that Stanton sat smoking by the smouldering fire, as the 
company started, Mary Graves went up to him, and kindly asked if he were coming. " Yes," 
he replied, " I am coming soon;" but he did not overtake them again. They would have 
returned for him, but they could not carry him through the deep snow, and the failure of their 
food supply, together with the darkening clouds, warned them not to delay. The long, pitiless 
storm came, and there, in the desolate waste the idea was first advanced that life might be sus- 
tained if some one were to perish. For a week they had eaten one ounce of meat each meal, 



198 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

and for the last two days nothing. Foster and others opposed drawing lots, but slips of paper 
were p-epared, and the longest — the fatal slip — fell to Patrick Dolan. Who would take the 
life of the man who had given up his abundance of food, and joined a forlorn hope that others 
might live ? With one accord all rose to their feet, and staggered forward, as if to flee from 
their horrid thoughts, floundering two or three miles, when they pitched the " Camp of Death," 
Friday, Dec. 25, where they remained until the 29th, while most of the time there raged one of 
the most furious storms ever witnessed in the Sierras. On the second night thev lost their 
only hatchet in the loose snow, while trying to kindle a fire; and, after having succeeded with 
the greatest difficulty, their fire, which had melted the snow under it, suddenly disappeared 
altogether, and through the round opening they could hear far down in the darkness, during a 
lull of the storm, the sound of rushing waters. The wind increased to a tornado, chilling to 
the marrow. About midnight Antoine ceased to breathe, and F. W. Graves, dying, urged the 
others — pleaded with them — to support life from his body; but they could not yet. With 
two of their number dead, and Patrick Dolan fast failing, W. H. Eddy saw that warmth must 
be obtained speedily, or all would perish. He spread a blanket on the snow, huddled his com- 
panions on it in a circle, with their heads outward, spread another blanket above them, and 
then crawled into a place he had left vacant. The snow soon covered them, and they were 
comfortably warm, it being necessary merely to take care not to be buried alive. The next 
day Dolan died. When the storm broke away at last, December 27, they had been more than 
four days without food, and two and a half without fire. The next night Lemuel Murphy 
breathed his last. Who shall judge them harshly for divesting the four dead bodies of flesh, 
satisfying present hunger, and drying the rest? The emaciated bodies yielded but a scanty 
supply, which was exhausted by the 31st, and on New Year's morning they ate moccasins, and 
strings from snowshoes. The two Indians, Lewis and Salvador, would not partake of this 
food, but built their fire apart, and starved in silence until they heard their names mentioned 
ominously, when they fled in the darkness. January 4 a deer was shot, and body, head, feet, 
and hide were all eaten. That night Jay Fosdick died, and his widow, although she would not 
touch it herself, consented that others should use the body. January 6 they were again out of 
food, and on the 7th they found bloody tracks, which they knew had been made by Lewis and 
Salvador, who had not eaten for nine days, and had been without fire or blankets four days. 

They were unable to move when the seven famished whites overtook them and passed on, 
unwilling to deprive the faithful fellows of life. But soon they could go no further without 
nourishment, and William Foster, who alone could do it, returned and told the Indians that 
he felt compelled to take their lives. They did not moan or struggle, or appear to regret that 
their lingering pain was to cease. Two reports of a gun followed; the wasted flesh, dried, 
afforded food for a few days ; and the party, sliding down deep canons, plunging out of sight 
in the snow at the bottom, toiling wearily up the other side, and clambering over mountains, 
their shoes almost rotted from their frozen feet, had at last found the snow growing less deep 
until it disappeared, or lay only in patches ; but they were again starving, and about to give 
up hope, when some one cried, " Here are tracks ! " Encouraged, they hurried on as fast as 
they could, and soon came in view of an Indian rancherie. In abject fear of the tattered, 
disheveled, skeleton creatures, the savages ran and hid ; but soon, understanding that they 
were starving men and women, the Indian women and children cried at the sight, and the 
braves offered acorn bread, all they had. They ate eagerly, and after resting, pressed on, the 
Indians leading and supplying them with the bread. Their joy at escaping, as they supposed, 
and at being able soon to relieve those at Donner Lake, was soon turned into horror, however, 
when they learned that, while this bread would relieve the pangs of hunger largely, it would 



SUFFEEIJVGS OF THE PARTY. 199 

not long sustain life, debilitated as they were. They were obliged to lie down and rest at fre- 
quent intervals — soon every hundred yards — and, at last, after being with the Indians seven 
days, they lay down, feeling that they should never have strength to to take another step. 
With the broad, beautiful, long-looked-for valley of the Sacramento before their eyes, and the 
•ever-pleading faces of their starving dear ones behind, yet vividly present to their minds, they 
sank, apparently to rise no more alive. 

But the Indians, seeing that William H. Eddy was hardly so near death's door as his com- 
panions, lifted him from the earth, supported him on either side, and fairly carried him along. 
His feet moved, but they were frozen and blistered and cracked and bleeding. 

Reasin P. Tucker, who, with his family, had accompanied the Donner party as far as Port 
Bridger, had taken the Fort Hall road, and reached Johnson's Ranch, Cal., Oct. 25, 1846. One 
•evening, about the last of January, an Indian led in a white man, emaciated, haggard, and 
debilitated, apparently, to the limit of human endurance. It was Eddy, who told how, thirty- 
two days before, he had left the party at the lake, and described their condition and that of his 
six friends a few miles back. With three others, and the Indian as guide, Tucker at once 
started with provisions, found the six that night, and brought them in next day, Mrs. Amanda 
M. McCutchen, Mrs. Harriet F. Pike, Mrs. Sarah Fosdick, Mrs. S. A. C. Foster, William M. 
Foster, and Mary A. Graves. 

There were but three or four poor families at Johnson's Ranch, and a rainy winter had 
flooded Sacramento plains into a vast quagmire, while relief could not be sent without help 
from Sutter's Fort : but John Rhodes volunteered, and on two pine logs lashed together with 
rawhides and for miles on foot through water from one to three feet deep, reached the Fort 
that night. Generous Captain Sutter and Alcalde Sinclair gave provisions without stint, and 
in about a week the first relief party, John Rhodes, Daniel Rhodes, Aquilla Glover, R. S. 
Mootrey, Joseph Foster, Edward Coffeemire, M. D. Ritchie, James Curtis, William H. Eddy, 
William Coon, George W. Tucker, and Adolph Brueheim started from Johnson's Ranch with 
R. P. Tucker as Captain ; and after a fearful journey of two weeks through drenching rains 
and floods in the valleys, and drifted and drifting snows in the mountains, reached Donner 
Lake seven strong, the others having to return, unec^ual to the task. 

Jacob Donner, Samuel Shoemaker, Joseph Rhinehart, and James Smith had died within one 
week, about the middle of December ; Baylis Williams had starved in the Graves cabin ; and 
later Charles Burger, Lewis Keseberg, Jr., John L. Murphy, Margaret Eddj', Harriet 
McCutchen, Augustus Spitzer, Mrs. Eleanor Eddy, Milton Elliott, and little Catlierine Pike 
had succumbed, the last having held out on snow water and flour only to die after relief had 
come. George Donner's family had only a single ox-hide for food, and the others were on 
very scanty allowance, They took courage, however, and celebrated February 22 by starting 
for California, the seven, and all who could walk or be carried, twenty-three more — Mrs. 
Margaret W. Reed and four children, Virginia E., Patty, Thomas, and James F. Jr., Elitha C. 
and Leanna C. Donner, William Hook and George Donner, Jr., William G. Murphy, Mary M. 
Murphy, and Naomi L. Pike ; William C, Eleanor and Lovina Graves ; Mrs. Phillipine and 
Ada Keseberg ; Edward J. and Simon P. Breen ; Eliza Williams, John Denton, Noah James, 
and Mrs. Wolfinger. Patty and Thomas Reed proved too weak and weary to walk, and had 
to be sent back. Ada Keseberg died that night and was buried in the snow. The next day 
John Denton was missed, found, and brought in ; the next he could not walk; so his compan- 
ions built a fire, fed him as best they could, and at his request continued their sorrowful 
march. Tucker's party had left part of their provisions in Summit Valley, tied up in a tree. 
Returning, their food exhausted, they entered the valley with rejoicing, but only to find that 



200 



PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 



wild animals, gnawing the ropes, and lowering the provisions, had destroyed all. Death 
seemed inevitable. 

Meanwhile, for weeks, James F. Reed had not been idle. He and Herron almost starved 
on the Sierra Nevadas, at one time considering themselves providentially saved by finding 
five beans in the road, one after another, and again some rancid tallow in a tar bucket under 
an old wagon. When they arrived at Captain Sutter's, they found all astir in the effort to 
enlist a company to go to Los Angeles, as we were at war with Mexico. Reed was asked to 




LEAVING THE WEAK TO DIE. 



be captain, but declined, as he would have to stay; but he did accept a lieutenancy, and on the 
way up Bear valley enlisted a dozen men. With flour and beef from Sutter, and joined by 
McCutchen, who had recovered, they tried to cross the mountains, but failed ; succeeding, 
however, in rescuing a Mr. Curtis and wife, who had got snowed in almost within sight of the 
settlements. It was an unfortunate time to seek for aid of the kind needed, with war raging; 
but at Sacramento, San Francisco, Sutter's Fort, and Johnson's Ranch provisions were 
contributed, with $i,ooo from the people of San Francisco and $300 from the sailors of the 
fleet in the harbor; and after great hardships Reed, with Charles Cady, Charles Stone, Mr. 
Clark, Joseph Jondro, Mathew Dofar, John Turner, Hiram Miller, William McCutchen, and 
Brit. Greenwood met Tucker's party just as the latter were about to abandon all hope. The 
provisions brought, and others cached at Bear valley and unmolested, saved all but one. 



REED'S RELIEF PARTY. 201 

William Hook, not satisfied with the small amount given out at first for prudential reasons 
went slyly to the food, ate until hunger was appeased, and died in a few hours. 

Advancing toward Donner Lake, Reed's party found John Denton lying dead, a pencil by 
his side, and on the leaf of a memorandum book near, the lines : — 

" Oh ! after many roving years 

How sweet it is to come 
Back to the dwelling-place of youth, 

Our first and dearest home ; 
To turn away our wearied eyes 

From proud ambition's towers, 
And wander in those summer fields, 

The scenes of boyhood's hours. 

"But I am changed since last I gazed 

Upon that tranquil scene. 
And sat beneath the old witch elm 

That shades the village green; 
And watched my boat upon the brook, — 

It was a regal galley, — 
And sighed not for a joy on earth 

Beyond the happy valley. 

"I wish I could once more recall 

That bright and blissful joy, 
And summon to my weary heart 

The feelings of a boy. 
But now on scenes of past delight 

I look, and feel no pleasure, 
As misers on the bed of death 

Gaze coldly on their treasure." 

At the cabins, about the only food for several days had been hides. The dead bodies had 
been talked of, but not touched. A solitary Indian, passing, had left half a dozen roots resem- 
bling onions. Clark, Cady, and Stone were left to aid the emigrants, and the others of Reed's 
party started with Patrick Breen, Mrs. Margaret Breen, John, James F., Peter, Isabella M., 
and Patrick Breen, Jr., Patty and Thomas Reed, Isaac and Mary M. Donner, Solomon Hook, 
Jonathan, Mrs. Elizabeth, Nancy, and Elizabeth Graves, Jr. Three days of forced marches 
brought them to Summit valley ; but that third night a mountain blizzard, cold and cutting, 
swept sullenly down upon them. 

"Exposed to the fury of the wind and storm, shelterless, supperless, overwhelmed with dis- 
couragement, the entire party sank down exhausted upon the snow. The entire party ? No ! 
There was one man who never ceased to work. When a fire had been kindled, and nearly 
every one had given up, this one man, unaided, continued to strive to erect some sort of a 
shelter to' protect the defenceless woinen and children. Planting large pine boughs in the 
snow, he banked up the snow on either side of them so as to form a wall. Hour after hour, in 
the darkness and raging storm, he toiled on alone, building the sheltering breastwork which 
was to ward off death from the party who, by this time, had crept shiveringly under its protec- 
tion. But for this shelter all would have perished before morning. At midnight the man was 
still at work. The darting snow particles seemed to cut his eye-balls, and the glare of the fire, 



202 PIOXEERS OF '49. 

and the great physical exhaustion under which he was laboring, gradually rendered him blind. 
Like his companions, he had borne a child in his arms all day over the soft, yielding snow. 
Like them he was drenched to the skin, and his clothing was frozen stiff and hard with ice. 
Yet he kept up the fire, built a great sheltering wall about the sufferers, and went here and 
there amongst the wailing and dying. With unabated violence the storm continued its relent- 
less fury. The survivors say it was the coldest night they ever experienced. There is a 
limit to human endurance. The man was getting stone blind. Had he attempted to speak, 
his tongue would have cloven to the roof of his mouth. His senses were chilled, blunted, 
dead. Sleep had stilled the plaintive cries of those about him. All was silent save the storm. 
Without knowing it, this heroic man was yielding to a sleep more powerful than that which 
had overtaken his companions. While trying to save those who were weaker than himself, he 
had been literally freezing. Sightless, benumbed, moving half unconsciously about his work, 
he staggered, staggered, staggered, and finally sank in the snow. All slept! Ashe put no 
more fuel upon the fire, the flames died down. The logs upon which the fire had rested gave 
way, and most of the coals fell upon the snow. They were in almost total darkness. Mrs. 
Breen awoke, and aroused the camp. Hiram Miller's hands were so cold and frosted that the 
skin on his fingers cracked open when he tried to split some kindlings. Meantime, he who 
had been working throughout the night was found — lying cold, speechless, and, apparently, 
dead upon the snow. Hiram Miller and William McCutchen carried the man to the fire, 
chafed his hands and limbs, rubbed his body vigorously, and worked with him as hard as they 
could for two hours before he showed signs of returning consciousness ; but at length they 
restored — James F. Reed," — the man they had baiiished weeks before. 

The relief party, seeing that they could not take the others along, left them at " Starved 
Camp," carrying Thomas Reed, while Patty Reed and Solomon Hook walked; and found 
Past-midshipman S. E. Woodworth, who had been sent with abundant supplies, lying idly in 
camp at Bear Valley, just as William M. Foster and William H. Eddy, survivors of the " For- 
lorn Hope," came from the opposite direction. Learning the state of affairs, these two, with 
Hiram Miller and Charles Stone, who had just returned, fatigued and almost starved, from 
the second relief, and William Thompson, John Stark, and Howard Oakley, at once set out, 
and, at the end of nine days^ found two who could walk, nine others alive, and Mrs. Elizabeth 
Graves, Franklin Graves, and Isaac Donner dead. It was agreed that Stark, Oakley, and 
Stone should remain with the sufferers at " Starved Camp," supply them with food, and con- 
duct them to Woodworth's Camp, the others going to relieve those at Donner Lake. Stone 
and Oakley, afraid of being overtaken by a snow storm, thought they should take the three 
Graves children and Mary Donner, leaving the others for a future relief party. A vote was 
taken, which was " aye " until Stark said: " No, gentlemen, I will not abandon these people. 
I am here on an errand of mercy, and I will not half do the work. You can all go if you want 
to, but I shall stay by these people while they and I live." The others left him, as voted, but 
Stark actually conducted the five, carrying one or two a short distance, and returning for 
others, although loaded with the provisions and most of the blankets, and at last reached Sut- 
ter's Fort. 

Jacob Donner's widow, Elizabeth, at Donner Lake, had devoted all her energies to her chil- 
dren, sending them forward with relief parties as opportunity offered. But her two youngest 
boys were too small to walk ; and, although well able to go herself, Mrs. Donner would not 
desert her children. She died soon after the second relief left, Lewis about the same time, 
and Samuel, who had been taken by Tamsen Donner, a few days later, George Foster and 
James Eddy dying about the same time. 



A VISION. 203 

The third relief arrived about March 15, and left as soon as possible, taking Georo-ia, Fran- 
ces, and Eliza Donner, and Simon Murphy on their shoulders, John Baptiste and Clark of the 
second relief accompanying; and all reached Sutter's P'ort in safety. They left Georo-e Don- 
ner, who had injured his hand before reaching the lake, with his arm mortified to the shoulder 
and death imminent ; his wife Tamsen, a woman of rare ability and noble traits of character 
able to go herself, but unwilling to leave her dying husband ; Lavina Murphy, too feeble to 
walk ; and Lewis Keseberg. 

The fourth relief, Capt. Fallon, W. M. Foster, John Rhodes, J. Foster, R. P. Tucker, E. 
Coffeemire, and Mr. Keyser, arrived April 17, and found only Keseberg alive. On their return 
Keseberg was boiling snow water for coffee one night, when, noticing a little piece of calico 
protruding from the snow, he pulled it, half thoughtlessly, half out of idle curiosity. As it did 
not come readily he pulled strongly, and held in his hands the body of his child Ada, whom he 
supposed to be alive in the settlements. Out of ninety but forty-eight reached California ; the 
remainder of the Donner party died as described. 

I have written the above outline from the story told us by Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Murphy at 
San Jose, supplemented by quotations from the History of the Donner Party, by C. F. 
McGlashan, who says : " The delirium preceding death by starvation is full of strano-e phan- 
tasies. Visions of plenty, of comfort, of elegance, flit ever before the fast-dimming eyes. The 
final twilight of death is a brief semi-consciousness in which the dying one frequently repeats 
his weird dreams. Half rising from his snowy couch, pointing upward, one of the death- 
stricken at Donner Lake may have said, with tremulous voice: "Look! there, just above us, 
is a beautiful house. It is of costliest walnut, inlaid with laurel and ebony, and is resplendent 
with burnished silver. Magnificent in all its apartments, it is furnished like a palace. It is 
rich with costly cushions, elegant tapestries, dazzling mirrors ; its floor is covered with 
Oriental carpets, its ceiling with artistic frescoings ; downy cushions invite the weary to 
repose. It is filled with people who are chatting, laughing, and singing, joyous and care-free, 
There is an abundance of warmth and rare viands, and sparkling wines. Suspended among 
the storm-clouds, it is flying along the face of the precipice at a marvelous speed. Flyino-? 
no ! it has wheels and is gliding along on a smooth steel pathway. It is sheltered from the 
wind and snow by large beams and huge posts which are bolted to the cliffs with heavy iron 
rods. The avalanches, with their burden of earth and rocks, and crushed pines, sweep harm- 
lessly above this beautiful house and its happy inmates. It is drawn by neither oxen nor 
horses, but by a fiery, hot-breathed monster, with iron limbs and thews of steel. The moun- 
tain trembles beneath his tread, and the rocks for miles re-echo his roar." 

The vision would apply well to our magnificent train, as we rolled down the canon of Don- 
ner Creek into Truckee, the last California town of importance. 




204 PIOJfEEES OF '49. 



CHAPTER XXI I. 

FROM TRUCKEE TO SALT LAKE CITY. 

Buzzing over mountains, whizzing through the vale, 
Bless me ! this is pleasant — riding on a rail. 

— Saxe. 

IT was eleven o'clock p. m. when we reached Truckee, and supper was most welcome. 
Here we said good-by to Dr. W. B. May, of San Francisco, a Southern Pacific Railroad 
passenger agent, who joined our party when we entered California at "The Needles," and 
accompanied us to all our principal stopping-places, introducing us, giving information, and 
aiding us by every means in his power. We were, indeed, sorry to part with one to whom 
we were indebted for so much enjoyment and instruction. 

This place, as far as we could see, reminds one of an Alpine village. There is a large 
machine shop here, and millions of feet of lumber cut near by are shipped yearly. 

That night, as the tirst rain we had had for weeks pattered upon the roofs of the cars, more 
than one dreamed of the wonderful Shady Run, through which we passed the day before. 
For miles this gorge extends with walls 2,000 feet high, and so perpendicular that it is said 
that the river, which flows so grandly below, has never been ascended. But if the depths are 
so grand and mysterious, what shall be said of the mountain sides which rise thousands of 
feet above the railroad, with other summits beyond piercing the clouds ? It is a railroad 
journey along the pathway of the eagles, with apparently but a span between earth and heaven. 

About a dozen miles from Truckee we entered Nevada, near the little station of Bronco, 
and soon after reached Reno, one of the liveliest and most flourishing towns of the Silver 
State. Nevada has an area of 104,125 square miles, and is therefore nearly as large as 
Colorado. The Southern Pacific Company's Ogden line traverses it for 456 miles, and the 
route presents all the characteristic scenery for which this State is famed, comprising bold 
and rugged mountains capped with snow, and wide stretches of desert plain. Wadsworth, 
Humboldt, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Carlin, Elko, and Wells are places of more or less 
importance. Indians, generally Shoshones or Piutes, are frequently seen about the stations, 
and now and then a squaw brings her papoose for inspection. There are several Indian 
villages near the railway. One of the wonderful natural features of the great Nevada and 
Utah Basin, sometimes called the great American desert, is found in the numerous "sinks," 
where rivers disappear in the sandy or gravelly earth. The Humboldt, Carson, Truckee, and 
many other streams empty into lakes that have no visible outlets. 

Another feature of the Humboldt desert is the alkali dust, which reminds me of a good 
story by Major Truman : — 

Andrew Jackson Hathaway, in 1S49, ^^''^^ a well-to-do young farmer of Iowa, with a wife 
precisely such as a thriving young farmer should possess ; a bright boy of twelve, and a sweet- 
tempered daughter of between ten and eleven years of age, constituted the two domestic idols 
of the Hathaway altar. Their names were, respectively, William Henry Harrison Hathaway 



MAJOR TRUMAK'S STORY. 205 

and Janet Dalrymple Hathaway. The father of the elder Hathaway had served as a lieutenant 
under Jackson at New Orleans, and belonged to a prime family, of Davidson county, Tennes- 
see, which had formerly lived in Virginia, and had good revolutionary blood in its veins. 
Andrew Jackson Hathaway's father's helpmeet came from a representative Rhode Island 
family, and, according to the archives of Providence plantations, a family renowned for its 
deeds of valor during the " times that tried men's souls." This little bit of pedigree has 
nothing much to do with tjie sketch that follows, although pedigree sometimes helps a man as 
it almost always does a horse. And, again, it is as well to show that our Hathaway family 
"had a pedigree that any American might be proud of; for Mrs. Hathaway, too, came from 
good revolutionary stock, with an even division of Massachusetts and South Carolina in the 
make-up. Her name was Vashti, she having been christened after an old maiden aunt of Fall 
River, Mass. Andrew and Vashti grew up on neighboring farms in Ohio, where both William 
Henry and Janet Dalrymple were born. It may not be uninteresting right here to state that 
the young love that existed between Andrew and Vashti was not entirely uninterrupted — on 
account of the youth of the parties, however — nothing else; and, whether they cared or not 
if the " man in the moon was looking," they each kept an eye upon the nocturnal movements 
■of "the old stormer " (as Andrew felicitousl)^ nicknamed his sweetheart's suspecting sire), as 
night after night they exchanged sentiments, and something else, over the front yard gate. 

It was upon one of these delightful occasions that Andrew and Vashti had plighted their 
troth, as had Lucy Dalrymple and Lord Rutherford almost two centuries before, by breaking a 
silver coin between them, and had mutually invoked malediction on whichever of the two 
should be false to the compact. 

The reader will perceive now why the Hathaways named their daughter Janet Dalrymple. 
And it may not be out of place — indeed it isn't — to state that, of all Scott's heroines, the 
■"Bride of Lammermoor" is perhaps the most widely known. Her sad story, you know, is, in 
the main, true. The maiden's name was not Lucy, as Sir Walter has it, but Janet — Janet 
Dalrymple — who was a daughter of Lord Stair. She and Lord Rutherford had plighted their 
troth, had broken a silver coin between them, and had invoked malediction on w^jichever 
of the two should be false to the compact. The parents of Lady Janet vehemently insisted on 
her marrying Dunbar, of Baldoon. The mother acted in the most cruel manner in forcing her 
daughter to this match. Janet, broken-hearted and helpless, managed to perfect an interview 
with her lover, and sobbed out a text from Numbers XXX., 2, 5, as an excuse for her obedi- 
ence to her imperious and unrelenting parents' commands. The lovers parted in sorrow — 
Rutherford in great anger, and Janet overwhelmed with grief. The former had not in him the 
■spirit of Young Lochinvar, nor the latter the wit to run away with him. The poor thing was, 
in fact, badly frightened. She was carried to church to be wed in a semi-crazed, certainly in a 
half-conscious, state. At night a hurricane of shrieks came from her bridal chamber, where 
the bridegroom was found on the floor, profusely bleeding from a stab, and the bride sat near, 
in her night clothes, bidding those who had rushed to the scene, "Take up your bonny bride- 
groom!" Janet died in three weeks, insane. Dunbar, of Baldoon, recovered, but never 
■opened his lips on the causes which led to the tragedy. Lord Rutherford, the lover, died 
■childless in 1685. It was a queer fancy of the Hathaways, this naming of Janet. Calling the 
boy after Harrison was entirely proper, and extremely American. It is as well to state, to 
keep up the connection, that Andrew and Vashti were married at the home of the latter in 
Ohio, in 1835. Andrew's father and mother both died in 1840, and Andrew inherited the 
Hathaway farm. In 1846 he and his family moved to Iowa, and here Hathaway farmed it 
until the winter of 1849-50. 



206 FIOXEERS OF '49. 

It was a bitter cold day in December, 1849. The snow was piled six feet deep on a level, 
and the mercury marked 24 degrees below zero. That day Deacon Hathaway — for Andrew- 
had joined the village church and had been made a pillar thereof — had two logging chains- 
snapped into pieces by the intense cold ; and the realization of some other mishaps made him 
red hot, although the atmosphere was unmistakably Siberian. Deacon as he was, Hathaway 
expectorated a multiplicity of Flanders oaths that day, and his arrival home was marked by- 
no distino-uishing exhibitions of serenity. Indeed, so exercised was Hathaway, that, while in 
the act of pulling off his boots, he got enraged and kicked one of them clean through the win- 
dow. This little episode elicited a broad grin from William Henry, and the remark that he 
thouo-ht Jackson — a white mule, not the head of the family — had kicked over the corn crib; 
Janet glanced sympathetically at her mother — who had burst into tears simultaneously with 
the flio-ht of the boot aforesaid — and then joined that good woman in her demonstration of 
o-rief. Andrew took in the domestic tableau at once ; and dispatching William Henry for the 
boot, patted Vashti upon the forehead, and said: — 

"I'm not mad at you, my dear, so don't cry." 

" I know you're not mad at me, Andrew," responded Mrs. Hathaway, " but you lose control 
of yourself so much lately, that you make things very unpleasant at times. You ought to be 
ashamed of yourself — I say this very feelingly, Andrew, for I love you, oh, so very, very- 
much — but here are Billy and Janny growing up so fast; and, my dear, you ought to at least 
set them no bad examples. Only a week ago you came home in another just such a fit, and 
ripped off both your back suspender buttons in your anger." 

"But, Vashti — " 

" Oh, you always have some excuse. I know things don't go always as you would like to 
have them; but there is no use in your getting mad, — and especially before the children. 
It nearly breaks Janny's heart to see you in a passion, and Billy, as you must have noticed, 
has already commenced to make fun of you. Another thing, — now that we are on the sub- 
ject, — let me tell you, Andrew, that you are not only violent, and very violent, too, in your 
temper, at times, but you are very obstinately set in your ways. You never consult me, either, 
in any of your movements, and, when you make up your mind to do a thing, nothing except 
disappointment or disaster can change you. Don't you think it would be better, first, to make 
me acquainted with your projects, or some of them, and let me put my little stock of wisdom' 
and womanly plans together with your hopes and undertakings.^ Two heads, you know, 
Andrew, are said to better than one, and it strikes me that husband and wife should be full 
partners ; and it would be so pleasant, too. I want to share with you, as you ought to know,, 
in all your pleasures and griefs, in all your prosperities and adversities. I want to be a part 
of you in all things, and at all times and places. I know you love me, and I know we get 
alono-^r^/Zy well, generally. And, were it not for your quick temper and obstinacy, we would 
be the happiest couple in the world. Now, I say this from the most loving standpoint, 
Andrew, and I say it for your own good, and for the happiness and future prosperity of you,, 
my dear husband, myself, and our dear, loving children." 

During this speech, Mrs. Hathaway and Janet had prepared the evening meal; William had 
plugo-ed up the hole in the window with some cast-off garments, and the family sat down to 
supper. 

The silence which followed Mrs. Hathaway's speech was broken by Janet, who inquired: — 

" Papa, mamma says we are going to start for California in the spring. Is that really 

so ? " 

" That is really so," responded Mr. Hathaway. 



MRS. HATHAWAY' S THEORY. 20T 

" Yes, dear girl, we start for California in the spring,"' interrupted Mrs. Hathawa)-. " Your 
father apprised me of his intention a few days ago, and that settles it. Neither of us knows 
anything about that far-off country, although the St. Louis papers are full of glowing descrip- 
tions of the beautiful land of flowers and gold. Lots of Iowa folks are going through in the 
spring, and I don't mind breaking up and going west once more." 

" They tell me that you can pick up gold in the rivers and on the roads out there in Califor- 
nia," said William. " I don't believe that, but I do believe it's a better place than Iowa. It 
is too cold here. I don't like the winters here at all." 

" You are right, William," remarked Mr. Hathaway. " the winters in California are as mild 
as thev are in Florida, so Fremont savs. and that is one reason whv I want to go there. It is 
an old saying that a rolling stone gathers no moss, I know, and it may be a true one; but I 
have rolled so long and so often that I am going to try it once more. From the little I can 
glean from the newspapers, and from other sources of information, I am of the opinion that it 
is just the country for us to go to." 

Spring came, and May found the Hathaways, with two good teams and wagons, half a dozen 
steers, two or three cows, two saddle horses, and a good stock of provisions, on their way to 
California. 

The little party had good luck, losing none of their stock except the cows, and meeting- 
neither hostile Indians nor thieving white men. 

From the moment the party crossed the Missouri river, however, Hathaway's mode of action 
was never interfered with with any degree of success. He consulted neither Mrs. Hathaway 
nor any other living person. He made and broke camps when and wherever he pleased ; 
watered his stock whenever he saw fit, and sought advice of no one or no thing except a map 
and a dial. 

Upon leaving Salt Lake, Mrs. Hathaway hazarded a suggestion touching a choice of roads, 
and William Henry rallied to the support of his mother; Janet, however, stood by her father, 
and the mother and son yielded. But >\Irs. Hathaway said : 

"As we are evenly divided in our opinion as to which is the best road, Andrew, I will yield, 
as I always do; but I would like to ask you one question: Suppose I had ttot yielded rs\y 
preference, and suppose Billy and Janny had preferred my road, what would yo» have done 
under the circumstances ? '' 

" What would / have done ? Why, my good woman, I would have gone right on just as I 
am — just as if no one were here but myself. I am the head oi this expedition, and it must ga 
my way. I don't propose to take advice from an old woman and a couple of children in this 
section of the wilderness — not as the roads are. I don't consider your judgment good in the 
premises, however much you may consult authorities. I have got a map and a general descrip- 
tion of the country through which we are traveling, and I am going to stick to that compass if 
I never reach California." 

" Why, Andrew ! " 

" No, there's no why, Andrew, about it. It is common-sense decision, and there can't be 
any appeal. I '11 say this, though : whenever, in your wisdom, you deem my course of pil- 
grimage uncertain or unsatisfactory, you can go some other way or take the back track alto- 
gether; and you may take the whole outfit with you, except the poorest saddle horse you can 
pick out. Now, I want you to remember, once for all, Vashti, that I am infernally tired of 
vour fault-finding; and susrsestions. I am determined to have mv own way. Whenever you 
want to go contrary to my way, let us separate." 

"Why, Andrew Hathaway, what a speech!" ejaculated the wife. "Why, the children 



208 PIOKEER.S OF '49. 

themselves are amazed at you." And all sobbed bitterly except that obstinate man, Andrew 
Jackson Hathaway. 

It was several days before perfect harmony again prevailed in the Hathaway camp, which, 
however, when it did set in, lasted until the party arrived at a point on the Humboldt desert, 
where the Lassen trail intersects that of the Carson. 

At this point there had congregated some forty persons, of whom all but Hathaway had con- 
cluded to take the Lassen trail. Mrs. Hathaway was aware that her husband's map pointed 
out the Carson road as the one to be followed. She, however, preferred the Lassen trail, for 
the reason that a good crowd was going that way ; and, further, because both William and 
Janet had besought her to prevail upon their father to change his mind. Thus fortified, Mrs. 
Hathaway approached her husband, who was seated upon a pile of blankets, repairing a bridle. 

It was a lovely morning in September, and all things in nature seemed to smile. The im- 
perial orb rode up the eastern sky and flung its splendors upon the majestic Sierra, which rose 
like battlements before it. There was inspiration in the scene and sublimity in the solitude of 
that vast landscape, untouched by hand of art. 

Mrs. Hathaway opened the conversation by saying, in dulcet tones : — 

"Andrew, I was just thinking, as I gazed upon those magnificent elevations before us, of 
the greatness of God. I have been in the most perfect state of enchantment for an hour, not 
•only in surveying the mountains before us and the desert behind us, but meditating upon the 
conspicuous creations of our Heavenly Father. I never felt my littleness so much before; 
and, in the contemplation of the mysteries which transcend the scope of earthly penetration, 
I recall an anecdote of your father's, the effect of which has for many years been engraved 
upon the tablets of my heart — I mean the one he used to tell of old John Randolph of Vir- 
ginia. Randolph was walking, one evening, accompanied by a favorite boy, you remember. 
All at once, arrested by a magnificent sunset in that incomparable section of Virginia known 
as the Shenandoah Valley, he violently seized the negro and said: ' Sam, if any man ever 
tells you there is no God, tell him that John Randolph says lie lies!'' The same sentiment 
seems to take possession of me as I gaze upon the Sierra Nevada mountains. By the by, 
Andrew, there is a man in the party here who has made the trip over the Sierra several times. 
He calls the mountains before us the rim of the golden valley, but says there is no time to be 
lost in getting over them, as the snow generally commences to descend in October, and some- 
times falls to a depth of twenty odd feet. I wish you would have a little chat with him after 
you have mended that bridle, as he is greatly opposed to the Carson road. He says it is all 
dust and alkali." 

'• He does, eh ? Well, you just tell Mr. Knows-It-All that I like dust and alkali, and for 
that very reason, if for no other, I am going to take the Carson road. I half thought your Jolin 
Randolph story and other utterances were a blind to get at the softer part of me, but you can't 
do it," replied Hathaway, roughly. 

" But," said Vashti, feelingly, " Billy and Janet both want to go by the Lassen trail. The 
whole party, in fact, start off in that direction in an hour." 

"All right, let them start; that don't interfere with my plans in the least. My map directs 
me to go by the Carson road, and I am going that way if I go alone." 

" Then you ;//dr/_^tf rt/<?«^, Andrew Hathaway!" said Vashti, with unmistakable force and 
composure. 

" What ! you take the Lassen trail, and I the Carson ? " 

"That is precisely the situation, unless you consent to yield for once in your life, Mr. 
Hathaway," rejoined Vashti. 



RULE OF THE MAJORITY. 209 



. ? " 



-"And William and Janet, they- 

"Go with their mother by the Lassen trail," added Mrs. Hathaway. 

"But you will become the laughing-stock of the whole party." 

"You are the laughing-stock of the whole party, and I am heartuy ashamed of you." 

" But this is a serious turn affairs have taken, and you may regret it," said Andrew. 

" It is most serious, Mr. Hathaway, and I regret that circumstances force me to act as I 

do," replied his wife. 

" Then do as I want you to. I would rather stay right here all winter than take the Lassen 

trail." 

" And I would remain right here all winter, and the summer following, rather than go one 
foot by the Carson road. My mind is made up. I propose to start in an hour. What do you 

say ? " 

" I say you go your way, and I will go mine." 

In less than an hour Mrs. Hathaway, and her two children were on the Lassen road, and 
Andrew, astride of an old saddle horse, moved off sorrowfully in another direction. 

Neither party looked back until a gap of many miles had been opened, each expecting that 
the other would yield. At last Andrew turned his animal about, and, to his utter astonish- 
ment, no living object met his gaze in that vast expanse. His heart sank within him. Great 
scaldin<r tears chased each other down his rugged cheeks. Despair took possession of his 
soul, and the miserable man cried in agonizing accents : — 
" Divorced on the desert ! Afy God! what have I done ? " 

Then he wheeled about and pursued his course, the very incarnation of misery. Once he 
turned and rode a mile or two on a canter the other way. But the mountain breezes blew the 
dust before him, and he at times became completely enveloped in clouds of alkali sand and 
other sedimentary matter. With nerves and reason almost shattered, he went into camp weary 
and alone the first night of the separation. In the meantime, Mrs. Hathaway and her children 
had joined the party that had started in advance of them, and had got along as pleasantly as 
could have been expected under the circumstances. William firmly believed that his father 
would join them during the night, and when morning came and found him not, he burst into 
tears and wept bitterly. The mother was overwhelmed with grief, but only once did she give 
way to her feelings, and that was when Janet, at breakfast, ^aid : 

" I dreamed so much of my papa last night. Oh, my poor dear papa ; I wonder where he is ? '' 
These words went like daggers to the wife's heart, and then she wished to God that she had 
taken the Carson trail. She even went so far as to consult with her son upon the feasibility 
of returning ; but William opposed such a course as adding folly to folly. 

In about a month Mrs. Hathaway and her children arrived at Sacramento in good health, 
and without the loss of an animal. She sold her entire outfit for several hundred dollars; 
which amount, added to the thousand odd that she had safely tucked away in the lining of her 
dress, she invested in furniture, etc., and at once set up business as a hotel keeper. By dint 
of industry and perseverance, coupled with flush times in and about Sacramento, Mrs. Hatha- 
way not only made lots of money, but really amassed a fortune. Up to 1852 both William and 
Janet assisted her in her household duties. Then she put them both to school, where Janet 
remained until she was graduated with honor. In 1S57 William, who had clerked it with success 
at Marysville, went to San Francisco and engaged in the hardware business for himself, and 
married a Boston lady the following year. Janet, in 1858, married a rich farmer from Santa 
Clara county, and has lived to see children and grandchildren grow up around her. Mrs. 
Hathaway still lives, residing with her daughter at San Jose. 



210 PIOKEERS OF '49. 

Andrew met with hard hick from the start. The third day after his separation liis horse 
fell down and died, and he footed it into the mines of Northern California, taking out liis first 
dust on the Feather river. Once he accumulated $5,000, and built a saw-mill, which was in z. 
few months after destroyed by a storm. Then he again got together a few thousands of doh 
lars, and commenced merchandising in Grass Valley; but a fire soon swept all of his property 
away. Then he went down into Southern California, and from there he drifted into New 
Mexico. At the commencement of the late hostilities between the North and the South, 
Hathaway was driving a stage coach in Texas. He at once joined the Confederate army, and 
was severely wounded at Pea Ridge while commanding a company in a regiment under Ben 
McCullough. He was again wounded at Chickamauga, under Longstreet, and was subse- 
quently taken i^risoner in Virginia, and sent to Columbus, O. In 1S66, although fifty-one years 
of age, he joined the 14th United States Infantry as a private, and once more went to Cali- 
fornia. For twelve long years Hathaway again drifted about on the Pacific coast, never hear- 
ing a word of his family — William having retired from business, and gone to Europe a long 
time before — until one day in September, 1878, when he saw some mention of his wife's name 
in a San Jose paper. 

As may be imagined, he made no delay in ascertaining the whereabouts of his long-lost 
beloved, and, on the 19th of September, 1878, just twenty-eight years from the day he was 
"divorced on the desert," his feeble steps carried him to the house that contained his wife. 
He rang the bell, and old Mrs. Hathaway answered the summons herself. Mutual recognition 
was instantaneous, and, without explanations, the aged couple hugged and kissed and blessed 
each other. 

Then they rehearsed tlieir histories from the time they broke camp in the Humboldt desert, 
twenty-eight years before. Andrew told in detail the stories of his unfortunate career, and 
Mrs. Hathaway briefly recited her successes, not forgetting to inform her husband how she 
had never retired at night without praying God to return him to her once more. 

"And, now that we are reunited," said Mrs. Hathaway, with an affected air of earnestness, 
"I want to ask you one question." 

"What is it, my darling, what is it.'' " cried the old man, in accents of tenderness and love. 

'■'■ Ho-cU didyo7iJind the Carson road?'''' 

" Miserable, Vashti, miserable,-^ all sand and alkali J " 

Then they embraced each other again, and were again united, after having been, twenty- 
eiglit years before, " Divorced on the Desert." 

The Territory of Utah is reached just east of Tecoma, 679 miles from San Francisco and 
155 miles from Ogden. The scenery is similar to that of Nevada, and, in fact, Tecoma is 
about in the centre of the desert. We approach the shores of the Great Salt Lake, about 
ninety miles west of Ogden, just beyond the station of Kelton. This remarkable inland sea 
covers about 3,000 square miles, its greatest length being ninety-three miles, and its greatest 
width forty-three miles. The elevation of the lake above the ocean is upwards of 4,200 feet, 
or higher than the top of the Alleghany Mountains. Its mean depth is about sixty feet, and 
there are numerous small islands, with one or two of considerable size. While the Atlantic 
Ocean contains 3>^ per cent of solids. Great Salt Lake has 14 per cent, or only 10 per cent 
less than the Dead Sea. Promontory Point, where the last spike uniting the iron bands, 
which had stretched out from the Atlantic and from the Pacific, was driven May 10, 1869, is 
fifty-two miles from Ogden. Promontory is a small station, and is notable chiefly as being the 
place of meeting of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads. This event is 
commemorated in Bret Harte's poem, under the title of 



BRET HARTKS POEM. 211 

WHAT THE ENGINES SAID. 

What was it the Engines said 
Pilots touching — head to head, 
Facing on the single track, 
Half a world behind each back? 
This is what the Engines said 
Unreported and unread: 

With a prefatory screech, 
In a florid Western speech. 
Said the Engine from the West 
" I am from Sierra's crest; 
And if altitude's a test, 
Why, I reckon it's confessed. 
That I've done my level best." 

Said the Engine from the East : 
" They who work best talk the least. 
S'pose you whistle down your brakes; 
What you've done is no great shakes,— 
Pretty fair, — but let our meeting 
Be a different kind of greeting. 
Let these folks with champagne stuffing, 
Not their engines, do i\\Q puffing. 

" Listen! Where Atlantic beats 
Shores of snow and summer heats ; 
Where the Indian autumn skies 
Paint the woods with wampum dyes, 
I have chased the flying sun. 
Seeing all he looked upon. 
Blessing all that he has blest, 
Nursing in my iron breast 
All his vivifying heat, 
All his clouds about my crest 
And before my flying feet 
Every shadow must retreat." 

Said the Western Engine, " Phew! " 
And a long, low whistle blew. 
•' Come now, really that's the oddest 
Talk for one so very modest, — 
You brag of your East! yoi( do ? 
Why, I bring the East io you ! 
All the Orient, all Cathay, 
Find through me the shortest way, 
And the sun you follow here 
Rises in my hemisphere. 
Really, — if one must be rude — 
Length, my friend, ain't longitude." 



212 PIOA'EERS OF '49. 

Said the Union, " Don't reflect, or 
I'll run over some Director." 
Said the Central, " I'm Pacific, 
But, when riled, I'm quite terrific, 
Yet, to-day we shall not quarrel. 
Just to show these folks this moral. 
How two Engines — in their vision — 
Once have met without collision." 

That is what the Engines said. 
Unreported and unread ; 
Spoken slightly through the nose. 
With a whistle at the close. 

Since the building of the Central Pacific Railroad, the population of California has 
increased at least 500,600, of whom probably more than half came by this route, at a saving 
of fully $100 to each one over the expense of travel b}' the old methods. For each one, too, 
there is a saving of time and a lessening of danger which it would be difficult to compute. 
In 1862 the Comstock Company paid $15,000,000 for transportation of freight from Virginia 
City to Sacramento. The year following the completion of the railroad, a larger amount was 
carried by rail for $1,250,000. In 1S62 the United States government paid, for transporting 
mails, troops, a^id supplies to California and neighboring territories, $9,000,000, and for a 
greater service the next year, $1,500,000. But for the building of the Central Pacific and the 
Union Pacific Railroads it is probable that the other Pacific roads would not exist. Without 
these the fruit trade of California, as we know it, would be impossible. These are but a few 
of many facts tending to show that the building of these roads has already effected a saving 
of expense which, added to the resulting increase in the value of tributary territory, would far 
more than pay the cost of construction. 

We should not forget, however, that, like many other blessings we enjoy, these roads are at 
our service only because, in the face of ridicule, discouragement, and danger, men were not 
wanting to plan and toil, dare and suffer, until success was at last achieved. T/ien everybody 
knew the road could be built, and only wondered it had not been constructed long before. 
Major Truman says: — 

"Every new railroad in the far West has been full of cost to human life. First come the 
engineers, daring the perils of Indians and the wilde*ness. Then follow the gangs of 'nav- 
vies,' who build the dump, and lay the ties and rails, — a rough, wild set, the refuse of cities. 
With them come swarms of bloodsuckers, gamblers, thieves, and keepers of dance-halls, care- 
less whether they win a man's money by a rigged faro bank, or 'hold him up,' or shoot him in 
the back on a dark night. No one knows their origin. They disappear on the completion of 
the railroad, and no one knows where they go. They leave a few graves behind them, and 
these deep woods are shadowed by many an unknown tragedy. The laborers are a source of 
profit to everyone except themselves. They eat and sleep in long trains of freight-cars; and 
their eating and sleeping fill the pockets of some contractor. They build the road, and 
receive their wages, and the wages are promptly transferred to the keeper of the gambling- 
tent, groggery, or dance-hall. Finally they are discharged. They return cooped up like cat- 
tle in freight-cars, they make for the mining-camps, or, provided with a 'tie-pass,' they pack 
their blankets on their backs, and set out on the tramp along the track. The best of them are 
kept for the section-gangs; the others vanish utterly away. With their departure and that of 



THE PACIFIC EAILIWADS. 213 

their attendant evil spirits, a calm succeeds the storm. The stranded gambler talks mourn- 
fully of 'the lively times when the road was here ;' but the Eastern visitor possesses his soul 
in peace, and no longer fears being ' held up ' in the street." 

The mountains surrounding the Salt Lake Basin are quite lofty, and upon near approach 
the (jiant wall of the Wahsatch range, which rises on the east side, presents a very pictur- 
esque appearance. 

Corinne and Brigham City are the chief towns passed through before reaching Ogden, 
which is the most important place in the Territory, after Salt Lake City. We here diverge 
from the direct eastern line, and proceed thirty-seven miles south by the Denver & Rio Grande 
Western Railway, for the purpose of visiting the capital of Mormondom. 



214 PIO^'EEBS OF '49. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

SALT LAKE CITY. 

Columbia, weep for the heartlessness, the selfishness, the pride. 
That bridge thy billowy waves of life and scatter their surges wide; 
Thy triumph waits on the farther shore, but oh, till thy conquest comes 
Mix not the tremble of ivory keys with the passionate throb of drums ! 

Sarah Carmichael. 

FOR two days and two nights we had been riding through some of the grandest scenery of 
the Sierras when, on Thursday, I\Iay 8, we reached Salt Lake City, where we were to 
stop one day. 

When, July 24, 1847, the leaders of the Mormon People settled in the Great Salt Lake Val- 
ley and began the up-building of this territory and its great central city, they little dreamed of 
the future possibilities of their new home. It was not long, however, before they began to 
realize that the resources of this country far exceeded their most sanguine expectations and 
accordingly, under the leadership of Brighain Young, (who was an organizer and an executive 
officer of great ability,) was laid the foundation for a city, upon a scale which is to-day the 
admiration of all who visit it. They laid out the city in blocks, 660 feet square, with streets 
132 feet wide. Along either side of these streets were planted shade trees, which now make 
Salt Lake City lovely in the summer season, with streams of water running down either side of 
these broad avenues from a splendid system of water works, fed by pure fresh mountain creeks. 
There are beautiful drives in the spacious Parks. The whole cit}-, with its rich lawns, fragrant 
flowers, gardens and stately shade, is one veritable bower, nestled at the foot of a range of 
mountains whose picturesque grandeur enhances the beauty of the scene. 

A place of great interest to all people, whether of a religious turn of mind or not, is the 
great Tabernacle of the Church of Latter-day Saints of Jesus Christ, or, as it is ordinarily 
termed, the Mormon Church. Each Sunday afternoon at 2.00 o'clock this immense structure, 
which is one of the largest auditoriums in this country, and possesses acoustic properties 
unequalled by any other structure in America, is crowded to its utmost capacity, which is 
13,462. It is 250 feet long, 150 feet wide, 80 feet high, oval-shaped, with an arched roof 
unsupported by columns. This is the largest span of unsupported wooden roof in the world. 
The interior construction is so perfect that the dropping of a pin can be heard in any part of 
the immense auditorium. A whisper can be understood from one end to the other. We 
exemplified both these facts. The ceiling was draped in evergreens, and, as it is thought that 
this gives a better effect to the voice, the drapery is left long after the occasion has passed 
for which it was provided. 

The grand organ in the Tabernacle, the second largest in America, has 3,000 pipes, and is 
used as an accompaniment for a well-trained choir of 200 voices. Large numbers of Gentiles 
attend these services, we were told. In the same square of ten acres is the Temple, a beautiful 
structure of native gray granite. The corner-stone of this building was laid April 6, 1853. 



SALT LAKE CITY. 



215 



The structure is iS6^ feet lon,2;. 99 feet wide, and has cost up to date $3,500,000, and will 
require $1,000,000 more to finisli it. The Assembl}' Hall, in the same block, is also of white 
granite. It is 120 by 68 feet, has a seat- 
ing capacity of 2,500, cost $150,000, and 
has the most elaborately decorated inter- 
ior of any building in the West. The 
Endowment House, where the marriage, 
baptism, and endowment ceremonies were 
performed previous to the completion of 
the temj^les in the Territory, stood in 
the same square. The Lion House, op- 
posite the Amelia Palace, was known as 
the residence of ten of Brigham Young's 
wives. It is located in the same block 
with the Bee Hive, which was Brigham 
Young's Executive Building of the 
Church. Next to this is the president's 
office. The Tithing House, where are 
collected the tithings, is in the same 
block with the Bee Hive and the Lion 
House. Across the street, in front of 
the Bee Hive, is the Amelia Palace, or ^.,,,,, 

the Gardo House, which was built by > wfj'^, 
Brigham Young as a residence for his 
favorite wife, Amelia Folsom Young. 
The Eagle Gate is an archwav sur- 
mounted by a large eagle, and spans "^ 
First East street, or State road, as it is 
called. Fort Douglas is a regimental 
post, situated three miles east of the 
centre of the city, and is at an elevation 
of about 400 feet above the cit}- proper. 
The site is beautiful, and affords a lovely 
view of the entire valley, city, and lake. 
The post and grounds are regularly irri- 
gated, and accordingly kept in beautiful 
condition. 

Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institu- 
tion, called for short the " Big Co-op.," 
was organized by Brigham Young, Oct. 
16, 1868, and now does a yearly business 
of $5,000,000, carrying a stock of goods 
valued at $1,500,000. It lias branches in 
nearly every Mormon settlement. Its 
main building, four stories liigli, is 319X 
98 feet in size. 

The Warm and Hot Springs are located in the north part of the city, and are greatly prized 



o 
S 

O 
PI 







216 PIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

for their curative qualities. Water from these springs is piped to the city, where baths are 
provided in a large Natatorium, centrally located. 

At the Chamber of Commerce, which has temporary rooms while waiting for the completion 
of its new building, there is to be seen a very fine collection of the mineral, agricultural, man- 
ufacturing, and other resources of tlie Territory of Utah, and of Salt Lake City. 

Utah's total land area is 52,501,600 acres; water area, 1,779,200 acres. The Uintas, the 
Wasatch, and the High Plateaus constitute a considerable part of the total area. The Terri- 
tory is exceedingly interesting, geologically, and has been very thoroughly examined, mapped 
and described by the Powell Survey. In 1877 officers connected with the Survey measured 
the streams, and the lands they can be brought upon ; and, calculating the irrigating duty at 100 
acres per cubic foot per second, limited the irrigable-arable lands to 2,262 square miles. Later 
estimates place the area at 3,000 square miles. A certain 40 square miles in Valencia, Spain, 
under the canals of the Furia, sustain 70,960 souls. At one-fourth of this density of popula- 
tion these 3,000 square miles would sustain 1,323,000 people. 

The population of Utah is estimated at 215,000, of which nearly if not quite one-third are 
non-Mormon. The assessed valuation for 188S was $46,379,969, about 40 per cent, of the real 
value, namely, $115,949,920. Add to this 20 per cent, for mines, which are not taxed, and it 
appears that property worth $139,139,984 has been created in LUah in forty-one years. The 
products of the Territory for 18SS are fairly estimated as follows (first two items not 
estimated): — 

Gold, silver, lead, copper, Salt Lake prices $ 7,557,241 

Coal, 253,000 tons, $2.10 at the mines 53i>300 

Agricultural and horticultural, about 8,000,000 

Dairy, eggs, poultry, etc., about 1,000,000 

Increase of live stock at 30 per cent 5,000,000 

Wool, 9,000,000 lbs. at 1 20. per lb ,. i,oSo,ooo 

Lumber, hides, and pelts, salt, brick 1,000,000 

Other manufactured articles, about 5,000,000 

Total $29,168,541 



On investigating the mineral resources of the Territory, I was so much surprised at their 
variety and extent that I think a list of the principal minerals will interest others : — 

Alum, aluminum, antimony, agate, arsenic, albertite, baryta, bismuth, cadmium, copper, cop- 
peras, coal, carbonate of soda, chalcedony, chrysolite, cinnabar, cpiicksilver ore, embolite, 
chlor-bromid silver, fullers' earth, garnet, geyserite, gold, granite, graphite, or plumbago, gyp- 
sum, hornblende, iron, magnetic and hematite, jasper, jet, kaolinite, or China clay, manganese, 
malachite, marble in varieties, mica, nitre, oolite, opal in varieties, ozokerite, or mineral wax, 
rock salt, saltpetre, silver, sulphur, white, yellow, blue topaz, tourmaline, talc, zincblende and 
sulphide. 

In addition to the above, the following rarer minerals are found in greater or less quantities : — 

Actinolite, alabaster, almandite, amethyst, amphibole, anglesite, anthraconite, apatite, ara- 
gonite, argentite, arsenolite, arsenopyrite, asbestos, atacamite, augite, azurite, barytocalcite, 
basalt, biolite, bitumen, bog iron, bole, bosjemanite, calamine, calcspar, cats-eye, cerargyrite, 
cerussite, chalcanthite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, chalybite, chessylite, chromite, chrysocolla, 
cuprite, dendrite, dolomite, epidote, epsomite, erubescite, feldspar, floss ferri, franklinite, 
freieslebenite, galenite, glauberite, hydrargillite, hydrosteatite, hydrosiderite, lignite, limonite, 
linarite, magnesite, magnetite, miargyrite, molybdenate lead, nitrocalcite, nitroglauberite, 



RESOURCES OF UTAH. 217 

obsidian, various ochres, olivine, onyx, phosgenite, phenacite, pickeringite, pisolite, prase, 
proustite, pyrargyrite, pyrites, pyrolusite, pyromorphite, pyroxene, quartz, rad. calcite, ribbon 
jasper, rose quartz, ruby silver, ruby copper, sal ammoniac, sard, sardonyx, satin spar, selenite, 
siderite, smithsonite, specular iron, sphalerite, spinel, stephanite, sulphur, trachyte, tremolite, 
tufa, tetrahedrite, witherite, wulfenite, zeolite, zincite. 

Of the above products, many exist in such vast quantities as to be practically inexhaustible. 
Iron is found in every part of the Territory, but especially in Iron Countv, where several par- 
allel belts of remarkably jxire ore exist, the largest being three miles wide and sixteen miles 
long, with 500,000,000 tons in sight. 

It is said that the coal fields of Utah would be merely developed by a century of solid work. 

One bed of sulphur has been found six miles long and one mile wide, and smaller deposits 
abound. 

The fertility of Utah is probably nowhere exceeded. The yield per acre is very large of 
most of the grains, vegetables and fruits. The various manufactures have a total value of 
$10,000,000 yearly. When we remember that the resources of the Territory are comparatively 
imdeveloped, even with all the labors of the busy Mormon hive for nearly fifty years, it is easy 
to see that this section will have a wonderful future. 

A real estate boom seemed to be at its height in the city, and the hotels were well filled 
with investors. In the afternoon we rode out to Salt Lake, stopping at Garfield Beach, 
eighteen miles from the city. There is an elegant pavilion at this beach, built on piles over 
the lake. One can take his choice of hot, cold, or lukewarm baths, as Nature affords water of 
almost any temperature. 

The Great Salt Lake is 120 miles in length by sixty miles at its greatest width. It is sur- 
rounded by beautiful mountains, and dotted with picturesque islands of various sizes, the 
largest containing about 30,000 acres. Pleasure boats of all sorts and descriptions ply upon 
the lake, and afford diversion for visitors. The popularity of the resorts along its shores is 
evidenced by the fact that more than 250,000 people avail themselves of the pleasures of a 
bath in Salt Lake during the season, between the middle of May and the middle of Septem- 
ber. The specific gravity of the water is about 17 per cent greater than that of the Atlantic 
Ocean, and it carries in solution, according to the season of the year, from 18 to 22 per cent, 
of salt. During midsummer afternoons and evenings the water is almost lukewarm, and a 
bath after the labors of the day must be restful and invigorating. 

The lake has an area of 2,500 square miles, and its surface is higher than the Alleghany 
Mountains. Its mean depth is about sixty feet, and numerous small islands ornament its 
bosom, the principal of which are the Antelope and the Stanbury. At different periods the 
level of the lake has changed perceptibly, which has led scientists to conjecture that the shore 
is by no means stable. 

We were much interested in this strange body of water, which was navigated by Fremont 
as early as 1842. We were charmed with the great beauty of its environment, the exquisite 
coloring of the far-off mountains that fringe its western shore, and rise, mellowed by distance 
into softest tints, from its cool, iridescent depths. We were impressed by the massive gran- 
deur of the nearer snow-capped range that stretches from the northern to the southern horizon, 
and shelters the fertile valley from the blasts of winter and the heat of summer, — with green, 
inviting canons seaming its sides, and leading upwards through the mighty hills to a fairy-land 
of eternal verdure, rushing streams and waterfalls, and cool, shady groves. 

Our return was a brief but interesting ride, through a beautiful country covered witli the 
verdure and bloom of spring. We saw many cattle, horses, and sheep, sleek thrifty animals, 



218 



FIOKEERS OF '49. 



apparently appreciating the long range of rich pasture granted them. Two cowboys, with long 
wliips and coiled lassoes, were guiding a drove of wild horses from the jilains on their way to 




the railroad station for shipment. The fine herds of cattle raised their heads at the noisy 
approach of the cavalcade, looked for a moment, and continued grazing. On our right, plainly 



ABTICLES OF FAITH. 219 

seen from our observation cars, were the tall peaks of the mountains. A soft fog from the 
lake had gently stolen around the loftier crests, whose rugged pinnacles seemed like sharp 
cones piercing the sky. The sun was setting, and a faint rainbow was thrown upon the fog: 
clouds which wrapped the cliffs, suggesting the thought of Jacob's ladder seen among the 
mountains of Holy Writ. 

That evening we looked about the city, and were impressed with the general quiet and the 
absence of women from the streets and public buildings. The dry goods stores all close before 
dark. One merchant was just locking his door when Mrs. I5all and I got there, intending to 
make a few purchases. He went in, however, to accommodate us, and in the dim light sold us 
among other articles, half a dozen handkerchiefs which he guaranteed to be of the finest quality 
of linen. They proved to be made of unadulterated cotton. 

As the hotels were filled with "boomers," we slept on board our train. 

The Articles of Faith of tlie CJnircJi of Jcstts CJirisf of Latter-day Saints were given thus : 

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy 
Ghost. 

2. We believe that men will be jDunished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression. 

3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obe- 
dience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. 

4. We believe that these ordinances are: first. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second. 
Repentance; third. Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of 
hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost. 

5. We believe that a man must be called of God by '-prophecy and by the laying on of 
hands," by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances 
thereof. 

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive church; viz. apostles, 
prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, etc. 

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of 
tongues, etc. 

8. We believe the Bible to be the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly ; we also 
believe the Book of Mormon to be the Word of God. 

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that 
He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. 

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel, and in the restoration of the Ten tribes. 
That Zion will be built upon this continent. That Christ will reign personally ujion the earth, 
and that the earth will be renewed, and receive its paradisaical glory. 

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our 
own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what 
they may. 

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, 
honoring, and sustaining the law. . 

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all 
men J indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul, "We believe all things, we 
hope all things," we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. 
If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these 
things. Joseph Smith. 



220 PIOXEERS OF '49. 

We often hear that polygamy is at last abolished in Utah. A writer for Kate Field's JJ'ash- 
ingtoii^ October 15, 1890, said among other things: — 

" There mav be shrewder politicians than the Mormons. If so, they can give Satan fifty 
and beat him in a game of one hundred. ' How not to do it,' has, so far, been the system 
adopted in regard to legislating for Utah. Instead of taking the bull by the horns, instead of 
treating Brigham Young's hierarchy as a treasonable political organization — which it always 
has been and is — and disfranchising all Mormons as was done with the ex-Confederates in 
the South, Congress has undertaken to supervise the morals of a great Territory, and for 
years has been successfully defied. 

" Morals never can be reformed by law. No government on earth can prevent polygamy if 
the people choose to practise it. The first anti-polygamy law was passed in 1862 — a farce. 
The second law was passed in 1874 — another farce. A third law was passed in 1882. It 
disturbed the saints because it disfranchised polygamists. 

" What happened ? For the first time in Utah's history a monogamic legislature assembled, 
but President John Taylor and his polygamic priesthood sat in the background and pulled 
wires to which their minions danced, while receiving pay from Washington. 

" More Saints went into polygamy than for many a year. John Taylor had a revelation com- 
manding the faithful to 'to live their religion,' and at a secret meeting held in April, 1SS4, the 
revelator and his counsellors proceeded to lay down the law thus : 

" 'You Bishops and Elders who have been preaching that man can be saved with one wife, 
have preached what is false. He who says a man can be saved with one wife is a liar. The 
United States Government has disfranchised us from holding office because we have entered 
into the celestial order of marriage. Now, I will disfranchise from ecclesiastical office all 
who do not enter into this celestial order.' 

"The controlling spirit of the Mormon presidency was then, and still remains, George Q. 
Cannon, the cleverest man in the hierarchy- — so clever as to have sat as a Territorial delegate 
in Congress for years, though an alien and a polygamist. He denied in Washington that he 
had more than one wife, but denial is a means of grace to Latter-day saints. It helps them 
through many troubled waters. Cannon's false swearing was eventually found out, even in 
Washing on ; whereupon this apostle was sent home. In Assembly Hall, Dec. 3, 1S83, he 
said : — 

■' ' Strip us of our union, and what is there among 200,000 Latter-day saints worthy of notice ? 
Two hundred thousand people cut no figure in this world ; but you unite 200,000 souls, and 
let them be of one heart and of one mind, and let them be increasing, and there is a power 
manifested by them that impresses men with its grandeur and greatness. God has said there 
was but one channel through which his commandments should come to his people. It was 
not to be Vox populi vox Dei, but it was to be Vox Dei vox populi. From God downward to 
the people, and not from the people upward to God. God has chosen but one man to counsel 
his people, and by obeying him they have been successful. I am willing to stake my reputa- 
tion as a prophet that, if you abide his counsel, you cannot be overcome. Our enemies" — 
Congress — 'hope to divide us. They have, by their laws, deprived the leaders of this peo- 
ple of those rights that belong to us as much as to them. They have sought to humble the 
dlite of this people. They have sought out the enterprising men, the chiefs, the ruling men. 
. . . They have deposed them' — all polygamists — 'and another class of our people' — 
monogamists — ' have been told that they might come to the front and enjoy the privileges 
that rightly belong to others. ... It rests with the saints to say whether the Edmunds 
law shall take away the power of the men whom God has chosen as our leaders.' 



IS POLYGAMY DEAD? 221 

"Of what power were the chiefs deprived ? 

" The power to vote and hold civil ofifice. It is God, then, who chooses the civil and political 
rulers of Mormondom, and not the people themselves ; and God has chosen polygamists for 
these positions, and it is His will that they shall enjo}* civil power. 

" The Edmunds bill consolidated the Saints. Their beloved leaders were martyrs. They 
avenged them by secretly going and doing likewise. The fox shorn a tergo advised all the 
other foxes to follow his example, and they followed. This known defiance of law led to pass- 
ing in 18S7 the Edmunds-Tucker bill, whereby all women were disfranchised, and the illegal 
temporal possessions of the Church escheated to the Territorial school fund. 

" Here was a blow. Women had been given the ballot to keep up Mormon supremacy in the 
face of Gentile accessions to the population. Their disfranchisement was unjust, inasmuch as 
it punished the accessory and let the principal go free, y/// Mormons should have been dis- 
franchised on the ground of belonging to a treasonable theocracy — an empire within a repub- 
lic — and then the law would have been impartial. It scotched the snake, but did not kill it. 
Nevertheless, it enabled Gentiles to hope for the gradual Americanization of Utah, and the 
result was an influx of loyalists which nearly doubled the population of Salt Lake City, 
increased its wealth many fold, and, at the last election, placed it under Gentile control. 

"Well, the Utah Commission, composed of five men, appointed specially by the President to 
report the condition of the Saints, have lately told the Secretary of the Interior that polygamy 
is not dead. Governor Thomas, as loyal an American as lives, upholds the Commission, 
and both advocate male disfranchisement as the only remedy for the disease. For six years I 
have argued on this basis, and on no other. At last the Commission unanimously advises 
what heretofore has only been the advice of the majority. 

"This unanimity bestirred the Mormons. Last spring President Woodruff told the Saints, 
in conference, that there would be no more revelations. As the mouthpiece of the Almighty 
he ought to know, and this fiat meant that iJic revelation aiieiit polygamy held good for all 
time. 

" But 'the Lord allows his priesthood to lie in order to save his people,' and as soon as it 
was known to the elite that Governor and Commission had joined forces, and asked for univer- 
sal disfranchisement, something had to be done, so President Woodruff, on the 24th of Septem- 
ber, telegraphed a manifesto which his servant, Delegate Caine, circulated in Congress just 
before adjournment. Therein the Lord's Mouthpiece wrote as follows : — 

" ' To tuliom it may concern : — 

' Press dispatches having been sent from Salt Lake City, which have been widely published 
for political purposes, to the effect that the Utah commission, in their recent report to the 
Secretary of the Interior, allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized, and that forty 
or more such marriages have been contracted in Utah since last June, or during the past year; 
also, that in public discourses the leaders of the church have taught, encouraged, and urged 
the continuance of the practice of polygamy : — 

' 1, therefore, as president of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, do hereby, in 
the most solemn manner, declare that the charges are false. We are not teaching polygamy 
or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice ; and I deny that either 
forty or any other number of plural marriages have, during that period, been solemnized in our 
temples, or in any other place in the territory. 

'One case has been reported, in which the parties alleged that the marriage was performed 
in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, in the spring of 1889, but I have not been able to 



222 PIO.YEERS OF '49. 

learn who performed the ceremony. Whatever was done in this matter was without my 
knowledge. In consequence of this alleged occurrence the Endowment House was by my 
instructions taken down without delay. 

' Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress, forbidding plural marriages, which laws 
have been pronounced constitutional by the Court of last resort, I do hereby declare my inten- 
tion to submit to those laws, and to use all my influence with the members of the church over 
which I preside to have them do likewise. There is nothing in my teachings to the cliurch, or 
in those of my associates, during the time specified, which can reasonably be construed to 
inculcate or encourage polygamy, and when any elder of the church has used language wliich 
appeared to convey such teaching, he has been promptly reproved ; and I now publicly declare 
that my advice to the Latter-Day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden 
by the laws of the land. Wilford Woodruff. 

President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' 

"This is a wonderfully ingenious paper, which means nothing to those acquainted with Mor- 
mon ways. 

"The Endowment House has long been out of employment, as the lately completed temples 
at Logan and Manti do its work. It was a makeshift even in the beginning, and since 1083 
has been too near Gentile eyes to be safely used. When Wilford Woodruff states that what- 
ever was done in the Endowment House was done without his knowledge, he belies his 
church, which insists that the prophet must sanction plural marriages. If he doesn't know 
who performed that ceremony, it is because he does not want to know, and to tell Utah Gen- 
tiles that he is unable to find out the ofticiating priest is an insult to their intelligence and 
experience. President Woodruff does not expect to be believed in Utah. He is playing a 
game of bluff. 

" By advice of George O. Cannon he, the Lord, is merely trying to deceive Congress, press, 
and public; and with that intent the last act is for him, and the rest of the Apostles to sign a 
document and present it in conference, requesting their people to obey the laws of the land! 

" How complacently press and public fall into the trap set for them ! 

" They at once assume that honest Governor Thomas, and the Utah Commission are liars, 
and proclaim to the world that ' polygamy is abolished ! ' " 

In another column the editor says : " For many years a man of undaunted courage, gener- 
ous no less than loyal, has sat in a dingy back office of the Salt Lake Tribune making Ameri- 
can history. The name of this man, born in New York State, is a glory to journalism. As an 
editor C. C. Goodwin deserves to stand beside Horace Greeley. When few in Utah dared to 
uphold the republic. Judge Goodwin's leaders told the story of its enemies, regardless of 
threat and violence, with an earnest eloquence inspired by conviction. Step by step he has 
fought the good fight, sometimes single-handed, calling upon the Gentiles to redeem Utah, 
calling upon the Mormons to redeem t4iemselves. In the whole of the Great West there has 
been no such factor in its civilization as this noblest Roman of them all. for the Salt Lake 
Tribune invades every mining camp and town of the Pacific slope. 

"Virtue occasionally is rewarded. With Zion at last under their municipal control, the C^en- 
tiles of Utah aim to Americanize the Territory, and have nominated Judge Goodwin for Dele- 
gate in Congress in opposition to John T. Caine, Mormon." 

It is certainly to be hoped that means will be found for eradicating polygamy and disloyalty 
from the Territory, without abridging in any way the religious liberty and political rights of 
its people. We cannot tolerate an empire independent of, or hostile to, our government. 



LATE.YT LOYALTY. 223 

within the limits of the United States, any more than we could in the days of Aaron Burr, 
whose fond dream it was to found such an empire. But, on the other hand, we honor the 
people of Utah for their industry, and hope that their prosperity may continue and increase 
when they shall have been brought fully under the sway of the common law of our land. 
There is among the people of Utah a strong latent feeling of loyalty, I believe, which will yet 
.be developed, as is shown by their literature. One good illustration is afforded by the poems 
of a Mormon girl, Sarah Carmichael. A committee at Washington awarded her a medal for 
the finest poem on the funeral of Lincoln, of which two stanzas are : — 

" Strongest arms were closely folded 

Most impassioned lips at rest; 
Scarcely seemed a heaving motion, 

On the nation's wounded breast. 
Tears were frozen in their sources, 

Blushes burned themselves away, 
Language bled through broken heart-threads, 

Lips had nothing left to say. 
Yet there was a marble sorrow 

On each still face, chiseled deep ; 
Something more than words could utter, 

Something more than tears could weep. 

Let him rest ! it is not often 

That his soul hath known repose; 
Let him rest ! they rest but seldom 

Whose successes challenge foes. 
He was weary — worn with watching ; 

His life-crown of power hath pressed 
Oft on temples sadly aching — 

He was weary, let him rest." 

The following, by the same author, will interest Pioneers: — 

" The Fallen looked on the world and sneered ; 
' I guess,' he muttered, ' why God is feared ; 
For eyes of mortals are fain to shun 
The midnight heaven that hath no sun. 
I will stand on the height of the hills and wait. 
Where the day goes out at the western gate. 
And reaching up to its crown will tear 
From its plumes of glory the brightest there; 
With the stolen ray I will light the sod 
And turn the eyes of the world from God.' 

" He stood on the heights when the sun went down — 
He tore one plume from the day's bright crown; 
The proud orb stooped till he touched its brow, 
And the marks of that touch are on it now; 
And the flush of its anger forevermore 
Burns red when it passes the Western door. 
The broken feather above him whirled, 



224 FIOXEERS OF '40. 

In flames of torture around him curled, 

And he dashed it down from the snowy height 

In broken masses of quivering light. 

Ah ! more than terrible was the shock 

"When the burning splinters struck wave and rock; 

The green earth shuddered and shrank and paled, 

The wave sprang up and the mountain quailed. 

Look on the hills, let the scars they bear 

Measure the pain of that hour's despair. 

" The Fallen watched while the whirlwind fanned 
The pulsing splinters that plowed the sand ; 
Sullen he watched, while the hissing waves 
Bore them away to the ocean caves ; 
Sullen he watched, while the shining rills 
Throbbed through the hearts of the rocky hills ; 
Loudly he laughed : ' Is the world not mine ? 
Proudly the links of its chain shall shine; 
Lighted with gems shall its dungeons be, 
])Ut the pride of its beauty shall kneel to me.' 
That splintered light in the earth grew cold. 
And the diction of mortals hath called it ' Gold.' " 

Besides the Latter-Day Saints, or " Mormons," and the Reorganized Church of the same 
name, which differs from the original congregation by its rejection of polygamy, and one or 
two minor matters, nearly every Christian denomination has churches and schools scattered 
throughout the Territory, and perfect religious as well as social freedom is enjoyed. The fol- 
lowing are the principal churches in Salt Lake City : — 

Episcopal, St. Mark's Cathedral and St. Paul's Chape.; Catholic, St. Mary's Cathedral; 
Congregational, First Congregational and Phillips' Congregational; Presbyterian, Second 
East Street; Methodist, Episcopal and Scandinavian; Baptist, First Baptist; Swedish, Luthe- 
ran Evangelical. 

In Salt Lake count}' there are forty-eight District Schools, undenominational in govern- 
ance, and conducted on precisely the same system as prevails throughout the United States. 
Apart from these there are many denominational schools carried on in connection with the 
various churches. 

There is also the University of Deseret, non-sectarian, under the direction of a Chancellor 
and Board of Regents, elected by the Territorial Legislature. 

Among the many stories told by members of our party none was called for more frequently 
than the following: 

In 1873, then a resident of South Carolina and temporarily at Columbia, the capital of the 
State, Mr. Whittemore was, with a select party of gentlemen, invited to a dinner given by one 
of the leading bankers and merchants of the city. After the feast, such as the generous host knew 
how to prepare and bestow, to Mr. Whittemore's surprise, being personally addressed, he was 
presented with a very valuable Masonic ring, in which were inscriptions setting forth the 
reasons for the gift and showing also the estimate which the donor placed upon the favored 
recipient. It is needless to say that the friendship which tlien existed between Mr. Solomon, 
(for that was the giver's name) and Mr. Whittemore had been of long duration : and, although 
the two friends had not seen each other for eleven years, the ring which was presented in 1873, 
in 1888 brought them together again. 



THE BOMAJ\''CjL of A BIJYG. 225 

And herein lies the chief romance of the story. In July 1886, Mr. Whittemore crossed the 
continent with his family and en route tarried at Salt Lake City awhile. During his stay there 
he visited Salt Lake and while bathing lost the ring. Of course, there could have been no 
possible hope of its recovery and Mr. Whittemore regarded his treasure as irretrievably lost. 
But he was again to be surprised and by the same friend, Hardy Solomon, who. fifteen years 
before, had given him such a token of regard. In a letter dated Wichita, Kansas, August 
25th, 1SS6, was the following: 

Hon. B. F. WJiitteiiiore, East U^objern, Mass.: — 

My Dear Old Friend: — Not having heard from you for a number of years, a peculiar 
coincidence induces me to hunt you up, and renew our acquaintance. Do you remember the 
Masonic ring I presented to you in Columbia in 1873? Well, it is through this ring that we 
are brought together again. Mr. G. A. Berg, of Columbia, sent me a copy of the Dai/v Reg- 
ister dated the 22d inst., which contains a letter from Christopher Deibl, Grand Secretary of 
the Grand Lodge of A. F. & A. M. of Utah, to Grand Master Auglesby, of South Carolina, 
saying that a little Mormon girl while bathing in Salt Lake, had found a Masonic ring, and he 
goes on briefly to describe it, saying that the inside bears the inscription, "Gratitude of Solo- 
mon to a worthy brother," etc. There is no doubt of the ring being the one I gave you, for 
the inscription identiiies it. By writing to Mr. Deibl you will be enabled to place it upon your 
finger again, and recall to your memory some of your old southern friends. Write me all 
about how you lost the ring, whether it was stolen from you, or if you lost it while bathing in 
the lake. Yours, 

Hardy Solomon. 

It is needless to say Mr. Whittemore immediately opened correspondence with the Secre- 
tary of the Grand Lodge of Utah, and, after learning the name, and generously rewarding the 
little Mormon girl, Sarah Ann Hughes, who found the ring that had been " buried in the sands 
of the great salt sea" for over two years ; through the kindly service and fraternal offices of 
Grand Secretary Deibl, the ring has been returned to, and is worn again by the fortunate 
owner. 

Previous to our arrival in Utah Mr. Whittemore notified Secretary Deibl, of the Grand 
Lodge, when we would reach Salt Lake City, and asked him to aid in finding Miss Hughes. 
When Mr. Whittemore appeared, Mr. Deibl dropped all business, and aided in the search. 
Following the directions obtained through a German Mason named Uhl, they started for the 
house of Mr. Huglies. Meeting a young lady on the street, Mr. Deibl asked her name at a 
venture, and the reply was, " Sarah Ann Hughes." Explanations followed, and the Mormon 
maiden led the way to her father's house, where a pleasant call was made. Her explanation 
•of how the ring was found showed her to be an expert swimmer and diver. Mr. Whittemore 
persuaded her mother to let Sarah and an older sister go to the city, and sit for a photograph, 
which is now shown with pride to '49ers calling at the office of Whittemore & Thompson, 
in Boston. 

While we were standing on the platform, ready to enter our cars when the conductor should 
_give the signal, a fast express train from the East arrived, and a lady of middle age, probably 
a spinster, hurried down the steps, apparently anxious to improve every moment of her 
limited stop in obtaining information about the Latter-day Saints. The first person she 
accosted was Captain Thomes. "Excuse me, sir! are there any Mormons around here?" 
"Yes, madam, 1 have the honor to be one." "May I ask your name?" said the lady, 
producing a note-book and pencil. " George Q, Cannon," replied the captain, with great 



226 FIOJ^EERS OF '49. 

suavity. "I know you will excuse the curiosity of a stranger, sir, but may I ask if you — if 
you are a believer in polygamy?" " Certainly, madam, in common with all good members of 
our church. I have thirteen wives and twenty-two children. But you will excuse me, for I 
must attend to my duty. I am stationed here to see that no suspicious characters get off the 
train. Here is my oldest son, who is home on a vacation from Harvard, where he is a 
professor and is making money, who will give you any information desired."' But the lady 
was not to be put off thus. "Just one moment, sir, — excuse me, — but are there no diffi- 
culties, no disagreements, in your household?" " None, whatever ; I live in perfect peace 
and harmony with my wives." "But how about the children? I should think they would 
have preferences that would often lead to misunderstandings, to say the least." "This is a 
total misapprehension, madam, as I will show you. Charles (addressing a brother Pioneer, 
whose locks are still dark), which of your mothers do you like best?" " I am unable to tell, 
father," replied the pretended Charles. The subject seemed about exhausted, and we 
expected to see the lady withdraw; but she appeared determined to improve the opportunity 
of a life-time, and consulted her guide-book a minute or two. Then, in a lower tone, she 
inquired: "Are there any Danites here?" "Yes, there is one (pointing to Patriarch 
Browne), and all those you see standing back, and watching so closely, are members of that 
order. You will find them everywhere in Salt Lake City. Wherever you go, you will be 
followed. See! (pointing to Manson Perkins, who was looking towards them), you have 
caught the attention of one of their leaders. How he watches your movements ! He thinks 
you are writing down some of our secrets, and it is his duty to investigate." "Oh! excuse 
me; I must return to the train. We make but a short stop." " Don't go, madam ; if you will 
wait but a moment for me to signal for some one to take my place, I shall be happy to give 
you all the attention in my power." " I don't want any of your attention," was the sharp 
reply, and the lady left as hurriedly as she came. As their train moved out, we could see her 
pointing out Messrs. Thomes and Browne to several friends, who stared at them in apparent 
wonder. Had this lady given but half a minute's attention to the badges which covered the 
lapels of our president's coat, she would have seen that he was not even a citizen of Utahj 
but she seemed to have eyes and ears for nothing except what was distinctively Mormon. 




THBOUGH E.iSTEB.Y UTAH. 227 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

SALT LAKE CITY TO MANITOU SPRINGS. 

For the strength of the hills we bless Thee, — 
Our God, our fathers' God ! 

— Mrs. Hemans. 

ABOUT noon Friday, May 9, we left Salt Lake City by the Denver & Rio Grande rail- 
road, having exchanged our Pullman train for narrow-gauge cars in order that we might 
enjoy the best of the wonderful scenery of this route. The company has now two lines 
between Grand Junction and Salida, the broad-gauge or direct route affording magnificent 
views, said to be unequalled on any other railroad in the world, but still greatly excelled by 
the narrow-gauge path with its various branches. Heretofore we have ridden on the sides of 
mountains, the roadbed for miles being cut along their flinty precipices; but we are now to 
climb to the summit of the Rocky Mountains, where our elevation will be more than two miles 
above sea level. But first for many miles we ride past the beautiful and thrifty farms of the 
Mormons, whose contented herds give evidence of the prosperity of their owners. 

In many respects Utah is the most unique and inviting field open to settlement in the world 
to-day. The gathering together in the great Salt Lake Basin of attractions in the way of cli- 
mate, lakes, valleys, mountains, medicinal waters; the manifold advantages offered to hun- 
dreds of new industries; the wealth that awaits in metal-ribbed hills and fertile vales — these 
are a few of nature's lavish gifts. Utah is on the eve of a transfiguration. One by one those 
great natural divisions of the " New West"' are being closed in upon by the resistless tide 
which has rolled westward since the birth of the world. Utah is almost the last; in fact, a 
mighty army has swept by, intent only on the Golden Gate, and its rear guard is now on the 
return march to attempt to gain a foot-held in the before neglected interior region. All these 
strangers who are to come will find more clear days in the year than they ever saw before ; 
they will find an atmosphere in which the very highest achievement of brawn or brain can be 
realized; they will find a natural sanitarium, with every existing auxiliary known in nature; 
they will find mines as rich and varied as were ever opened to human eyes, and they will never 
know what a hot or cold day is, as understood in the East. 

As our meals must be taken at stations, we stopped for lunch at the beautiful town of Provo,. 
whose altitude is 4,517 feet above the ocean. The placid surface of Utah Lake mirrors the 
fleecy clouds and the peaks of the Oquirrh range of mountains, — 

" So blended bank and shadow there, 
That each seemed pendulous in air." 

We continue our journey through a wild country with mountains towering above us, here 
and there, from 1,500 to 2,000 feet; then we rise and wind around the peaks as on a shelf, 
whence a furious river with cascades and cataracts is seen now and then far below. We are 
told for the hundredth time tliat the culmination of mountain scenery and of eerie canon 
views is yet to come, and we wonder if it can be much better. There is nothing common- 



228 



FIOKEEES OF '49. 



place here. Nature has been careful to avoid duplication, hence the landscape seems as novel 
as on our first day's ride in the Sierras. 

At Soldier Summit, forty-five miles beyond Provo, the elevation is 7,464 feet, or 3,237 feet 
above the level of Salt Lake City. Between Clear Creek station and the summit, a distance of 
seven miles, there is a rise of 1,236 feet, or 176 1-2 feet to the mile. The scenery in the Spanish 
Fork Canon is bold and striking, but less so than in Castle Canon, on the easterly side of the 
mountains. At the summit the view is not extended, as the mountains rise higher on either 




CASTLE GATE. 

side; but frequent glimpses of snow-clad peaks are had through the openings. Mount Nebo, 
11,922 feet high and one of the loftiest peaks of the Wahsatch range, being especially promi- 
nent. The road descends on the east slope by the side of the North Fork of the Price River, 
which it follows down to the main stream, continuing thence to within about twenty miles of 
the junction of the Price with the Green River, at the Azure Cliffs. 

Pleasant Valley is indeed well named, and thirteen miles further on, at the entrance of the 
Price River Canon, the train enters the massive portals of Castle Gate. 



THBOUGH CASTLE GATE. 229 

The two huge pillars or ledges of rock composing it are offshoots of the cliffs behind. 
They are of different heights, one measuring five hundred and the other four hundred and 
fifty feet from top to base. They are richly dyed with red ; and the firs and pines growing 
about them, but reaching only to their lower strata, render this coloring more noticeable and 
beautiful. Between the two sharp promontories, which are separated only by a narrow space, 
the river and the railroad both run, one pressing closely against the other. The stream leaps 
over a rocky bed and its banks are lined with tangled brush. The turreted rocks, the rushing 
stream and the darkling canon bring forcibly to mind that wonderful dream of Coleridge : — 

" In Xanadu did Kubla Khan 
A stately pleasure-dome decree ; 
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran 
Through caverns measureless to man, 

Down to a sunless sea. 
So twice five miles of fertile ground 

With walls and towers were girdled round ; 
And here were gardens bright with sinuous rills, 

Where blossom'd many an incense-bearing tree ; 
And here were forests ancient as the hills, 

Infolding sunny spots of greenery.'' 

Once past the gate, and looking back, the bold headlands forming it have a new and more 
attractive beauty. They are higher and more massive, it seems, than when we were in their 
shadow. Huge rocks project far out from their perpendicular faces. No other isolated pin- 
nacles in this region approach them in size or majesty. They are landmarks up and down the 
canon, their lofty tops catching the eye before their bases are discovered. 

We arrived at Green River at 10.30 p. m., where dinner awaited us. 

The Colorado State line is reached about 270 miles from Salt Lake City. After crossino- 
the Grand River, the railroad follows up the valley of the Gunnison, one of its main tributa- 
ries, for a considerable distance; and then, leaving it to the east, skirts the Uncompahgre 
plateau, returning once more to the Gunnison in the upper part of the Black Canoii. The 
road reaches the Black Canon through an entering canon that admits Cimarron Creek. We 
breakfasted at Cimarron, where an observation car was put on the rear of our train, for the 
convenience of those who wished to enjoy the scenery to the best advantage. The up grade 
is now so steep that two engines are necessary. 

For a distance of nine miles the railway pursues its way by the side of the river, and 
between towering walls which are from 1,000 to 2,000 feet high. In places the walls recede 
from the river, leaving little basins; and there are transverse canons through which small 
streams enter the Gunnison. 

Along many miles of this grand gorge the railway lies upon a shelf that has been blasted 
in the solid walls of God's masonry; walls that stand sheer 2,000 feet in height and so close 
together for most of the distance through the canon that sometimes, even in broad daylight, 
only a streak of sky, spangled with stars, is seen above. 

"I'll look no more ; 
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight 
Topple down headlong." 

Unlike many of the Colorado canons, the scenery in this one is kaleidoscopic, ever chang- 



230 



FIO.YEERS OF '49. 



ino-. Here the train glides along between the close, regular, and exalted walls, then suddenly 
it passes the mouth of another mighty canon, which looks as if it were a great gateway lo an 




CHirPETA FALLS IN THE ]:LACK CANON. 



unroofed arcade, leading from the abode of some monstrous giant. Now. at a sharp turn, 
Chippeta falls, a stream of liquid crystal, pitches from the top of the dizzy cliffs to the bosom 



THE CUlUiECAXTI XEEDLE. 



231 



of tlie sparkling river, which daslies beside the road. Chippeta was the widow of Ouray, a 
chief of the Utes, who befriended the whites in Colorado's early days. 




THE CURKECANTI NEEDLE. 



Next a spacious amphitheatre is passed, in the centre of which stands Currecanti Needle, 
solitary and alone, a towering monument of solid stone, which reaches to where it flaunts the 



232 PIOXEERS OF '49. 

clouds, like some great cathedral spire. This huge obelisk is nearly 1,500 feet in height. We 
were told that it was first climbed by a sailor, who drove iron spikes or rods into the almost 
perpendicular walls as he ascended, and left the American flag flying from a rod at the summit. 
The spikes, and the rod at the summit, could still be seen, but the flag had disappeared. This 
Needle "is red-hued from point to base, and stands like a grim sentinel, watchful of the canon's 
solitudes. At the junction of the Gunnison and the Cimarron, a bridge spans the gorge, 
from which the beauties of the canon are seen at their best. Sombre shades prevail ; the 
stream fills the space with its heavy roar, and the sunlight falls upon the topmost pines, but 
never reaches down the dark, red walls. Huge boulders lie scattered about; fitful winds 
sweep down the deep clefts; Nature has created everything on a grand scale ; detail is sup- 
planted by magnificence, and the place is one appealing to our deepest feelings. It greets us 
as a thing of beauty, and will remain in our memory a joy forever. Long ago the Indians of 
this region built their council fires here. By secret paths, always guarded, they gained these 
fastnesses, and held their grave and sombre meetings. The firelight danced across their 
swarthy faces to the cliffs encircling them. The red glow lit up with Rembrandt tints the 
massive walls, the surging streams, and clinging vines. They may not have known the place 
had beauties, but they realized its isolation, and, fearing nothing in their safe retreat, spoke 
boldly of their plans." 

We move on where the river is in places rapid and lashed into foam, and again calm and 
placid as a mirror, in which the great rock masses are repeated with an effect that makes the 
chasm seem twice as deep. Emerging from the upper end of the Black Caiion, the railway 
comes into a broad basin, in the centre of which stands the flourishing city of Gunnison, the 
centre of a famous mining district. Here we halted an hour for lunch, and found it ready, 
well served, and composed of an excellent variety of dishes, such as trout, salmon, quail, 
duck, and frogs' legs. Indeed, we enjoyed the best of hotel fare on this trip on the narrow 
gauge cars, and we were greatly interested as well as amused in observing how the commis- 
sary department was managed. Mr. E. A. Thayer is proprietor of the Union Depot Hotel at 
Pueblo, Black Canon Hotel at Cimarron, Monte Cristo Hotel at Salida, and other houses. 
After we finished a meal, Mr. Thayer, the landlord, with half-a-dozen or more dining-room em- 
ployes, would accompany us on the train to the next of his chain of hotels, where, in response 
to a telegram, another meal would be ready, and would be served to the satisfaction of all. 
The extra help that came with the excursion relieved those regularly employed at the various 
houses from any embarrassment from so large a party. 

From the time we left Green River it seemed as if we crossed the Grand or the Gunnison,, 
or some of their numerous tributaries, about once in five miles. Near Gunnison we again 
heard the rumble of our train on a bridge, and as we looked down upon the seething torrent 
below, some one started and all sang with a will — 

" One wide river to Jordan, 
One more river to cross." 

East of Gunnison the road approaches the main range of the Rocky Mountains, and climbs 
to the summit of the Marshall Pass, which has an elevation of 10,852 feet — over two miles — 
above the level of the sea. This is the highest point crossed by any railroad inside the limits 
of the United States. Mr. Webber, the traveler, states that in Thibet he has lived for months 
together at a height of more than fifteen thousand feet above sea level, and that the result was 
as follows : His pulse, at the normal heights only sixty-three beats per minute, seldom fell 



LIFE AT HIGH ALTITUDES. 



233 



below loo beats per minute during the whole time he resided at that level. His respirations 
were often twice as numerous in the minute as they were in the ordinary levels. A run of loO' 

a. 




yards would quicken both pulse and respiration more than a run of i,ooo yards at sea level, 
and he found that the higher the level the greater the difficulty of running or walking fast. He 



234 PIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 

crossed the .Gurla Mandhata Mountain at a heiglit of 20,000 feet, and found that he had the 
utmost ditificulty in getting his breath fast enough. Webber also says that the native guides 
of the mountains suffered as much as, if not more than he. 

The distance from Gunnison to the summit is forty-eight miles, and the difference in eleva- 
tion 3,278 feet. The climb does not begin in real earnest, however, until Sargent, thirty-one 
miles from Gunnison and only 798 feet above it, is passed. Here our train was divided into 
two sections, with two engines on the first part and one on the second, and as the two sections 
crossed and recrossed each other's paths on the serpentine route, towels and handkerchiefs 
were waved with a jollity that showed the youthfulness of our party. 

For seventeen miles the average grade is 140 feet to the mile; and for nine miles of this 
distance, from Siding No. 10 to Siding No. 7, there is a continuous grade of 211 feet to the 
mile. The train winds its way up the mountain steeps in many twists and zigzags, and, 
arriving at the top, descends by a course equally sinuous. On the east slope the maximum 
grade is 211 feet to the mile (between the pass and Tollgate), and the curves reach 24 degrees 
in 100 feet. At one place the train goes five or six miles, and is then just opposite its former 
position, but 1,000 feet lower. A day or two before, one of the party, who was familiar with 
this part of the country, had emphasized the crookedness of the road, and added that there 
were times when a passenger on the rear car could hand a cigar to the engineer. Near 
Tollgate a young man remarked that he had not yet seen any such place, although the road 
was certainly very crooked. "Gunnison was one place, where we stopped a whole hour, and 
Sargent another. Try it the next time we stop," said the man of experience, explaining that 
it is a joke often played upon travelers here. 

We passed through eighteen snow-sheds, and when we came out of the last, those in the 
observation car looked as if they had been working in coal-pits. The views in ascending and 
■descending are grand beyond description, those upon the east side being the most extended 
and interesting. At the summit of the pass we are upon a shoulder of IMount Ouray, which 
towers to the height of 14,055 feet — over 3,000 feet above us; and Mount Shavano, which is 
194 feet higher, comes into sight when we reach the eastern slopes. On the opposite or 
south side of the pass are the snowy domes of the Cochetopa Hills, which are from 10,000 to 
over 13,000 feet high. In front, and stretching away into the southern distance, are the lofty 
snow pinnacles of the beautiful Sangre de Cristo range. The scene is grandly impressive. 
We are far above many of the surrounding hill-tops, and the vision extends for 100 miles and 
more to distant peaks. There is an oppressive stillness in the air about us, and we seem 
lifted beyond the busy and noisy world. The air is chilly, and our surroundings are those of 
winter. At the same time we may peer down into the summer of the valleys and plains. 

Descending through Poncho Pass, with many varied views of the mountain, the train, at 
6 P. M. reaches Salida, a bustling town situated upon the banks of the Arkansas River, and 
at the junction with the Leadville line. 

Here we remained all night, taking supper and breakfast at the Monte Cristo Hotel. Mr. 
Thayer was about fifty rooms short, but I was fortunate in securing one ; doubly so, in fact, 
for I was one of the observation car " coal-heavers," and was glad of a chance to use soap and 
water freely. Liquor saloons and dance halls were numerous here for a small place. The 
chief industry is mining. 

We left for Pueblo at nine o'clock, and soon began to enjoy the marvelous scenery of the 
Grand Canon of the Arkansas. For nearly 100 miles the river and the railway keep close com- 
panionship, and the course of the former afforded the only practicable route for the latter 
through this mountainous region. Following down the valley between the towering range of 



THE ROYAL GOBGE. 



235 



/Arkansas hills upon the left and the magnificent line of lofty, snow-clad peaks forming the 
Sangre de Cristo range upon the right, the grandest and most impressive scenery is found in 
the portion of the canon known as 
the Royal Gorge, some ten miles 
in length. 

When first examined it seemed 
impossible that a railway could 
ever be constructed through this 
stupendous canon to Leadville and 
the west. There was scarcely 
room for the river alone, and gran- 
ite ledges blocked the path with 
their mighty bulk. In time, how- 
ever those obstructions were 
blasted away, a road-bed closely 
following the contour of the cliffs 
was made, and to-day the canon is 
a well-used thoroughfare. But its 
grandeur still remains. After en- 
tering its depths, the train moves 
slowly along the side of the Arkan- 
sas, and around projecting should- 
ers of dark-hued granite, deeper 
and deeper into the heart of the 
rang-e. The crested cra^rs ci'ow 
higher, the river madly foams along 
its rocky bed, and anon the way 
becomes a mere fissure through 
the heights. 

The river, sombre and swift, 
breaks the awful stillness with its 
roar. Soon the cleft becomes still 
more narrow, the treeless cliffs 
higher, the river closer confined, 
and where a long iron bridge hanss 
suspended from tlie smooth walls, 
the grandest portion of tlie canon 
is reached. Man becomes dwarfed 
and dumb in the sublime scene, 
and Nature exhibits the power she 
possesses. The crags menacingly rear their heads above the daring intruders, and the place 
is like the entrance to some infernal region. 

Far above the road the sky forms a deep blue arch of light; but in the Gorge hang dark and 
sombre shades which the sun's rays have never penetrated. The place is a measureless gulf 
of air with solid walls on either side. Here the granite cliffs are a thousand feet high, smooth 
and unbroken by tree or slirub and tiiere a pinnacle soars skyward for thrice that distance. 
JMo flowers grow, and the birds care not to penetrate the solitudes. Such magnificent scenery 










r 



THE ROYAL GORGE. 



236 



piojYEErs of '49. 



as that of the Black Canon, and that of the Royal Gorge, I have never seen elsewhere. But 
Marshall Pass finds two formidable rivals, so far as its slopes are concerned, in the route from 




MOUNT OV THE JIOLV CROSS. 

Locarno to Lucerne and the Summering Pass in the Noric Alps, although one loses much of 
his enthusiasm in going to Lucerne as he passes through the forty-nine tunnels, one of which. 



ASTONISHED ABORIGIXES. 



237 



St. Gothard, is nine and one quarter miles long. At ^Marshall Pass we "beat " up the moun- 
tain, as sailors say, and look up at the lofty, snow-clad peaks towering above us ; while in the 
Alpine passes named, we climb by circling the mountains and look down upon pretty lakes and 
villages far below. But when the summit is attained, I think Marshall Pass affords a finer 
view than the others named. 

We emerge at last from the great rock portals of the Royal Gorge, and see the Colorado 
penitentiary on our left as we approach Canon City. Here we made a short halt and 
arrived at Pueblo, forty miles further, at noon. It was very hot here, about 90 degrees in the 
shade I should think. i\Ir. Thayer was readv with dinner, and we \vere soon niovinjr on asain 
to Colorado Springs, so named on account of the springs which are at RIanitou. six miles dis- 
tant, whither we proceed by a branch road, arriving at two o'clock. 

At one station where we stopped for coal and water several of us went to the platform 
where sat a warrior and squaw about forty years old. The man spoke English well enough 
for us to understand him, but the squaw said nothing, although she seemed very much inter- 
ested when we addressed her husband. The latter showed his teeth as he spoke, and I called 
attention to how perfect they were. D. C. Allen asked the squaw if hers were as white and 
nice looking, and made motions by showing his own. She looked, but neither spoke nor gave 
any sign of comprehension. Mr. Allen then showed what nice ones he had, and to see if she 
could not be made to open her mouth, took out his false set and showed her first his gums, 
then the teeth. I never saw greater astonishment depicted on two human countenances : the 
squaw looked horrified, but only closed her mouth more tightly. " All aboard " was the call, 
and we left; but the two watched us as long as they could see us, and seemed to be talking 
about the wonderful man whose teeth could be taken out and put back at pleasure. 




INDIAN STOREHOUSES. 



238 PIOXEERS OF 'A9. 



CHAPTER XXV 



MANITOU SPRINGS DENVER. 



In short — as it goes in the world — they eat, and they drink, and they sleep ; 
They talk, and they walk, and they woo, they sigh, and they laugh, and they weep; 
They read, and they ride, and they dance (with other unspeakable things) ; 
They pray, and they play, and they pay, and that's what they do at the Springs. 



-Saxe. 



MANITOU Springs is situated in a narrow valley penetrating the main range through the- 
foot-hills. The red rocks of the neighboring elevations give the surroundings a very 
singular aspect. The town is invisible until a low ridge extending across the valley is passed,, 
and then the white houses, and large hotels come suddenly into view. The most prominent 
buildings are the new and elegant bathing-establishment, and the pretty stone station. Through 
an opening in the hills the snow-white crest of Pike's Peak is seen. The principal springs, six. 
or seven in number, are situated on the banks of Fountain Creek, a swift mountain stream 
which flows through the centre of the village, or on Ruxton's Creek, which flows into the other 
from Engleman's Caiion, just below the Ute Pass. The Navajo, Shoshone, and Manitou. 
Springs are within one minute's walk of the hotels, as is also the splendid bathing-establish- 
ment opened in 18S4. Manitou Springs has an elevation of 6,297 feet, but is nevertheless sur- 
rounded by high hills. Pike's Peak is 14,134 feet high. Cameron's Cone has an elevation o£ 
11,560 feet. 

We were quartered at the Cliff and the Barker Hotels, both well kept. I should think that 
this would be a good place for one who likes to sleep under blankets the year round, with 
days warm enough to make out-door life enjoyable. The weather here reminded us of New 
Eu'dand; a hot noon, an afternoon thunder shower and a snowstorm being followed by a 
nio-ht so cool that ice formed. We found many guests here from all parts of the country, — 
some with health or wealth, or both, and some without either. The invalids are as regular in 
their visits to the clear, bubbling springs as is a toper at the bar of a saloon. The water is 
pleasant to the taste, and reminds one of Apollinaris water. 

As soon as we arrived, 1 spoke for a good team and driver for the morrow, and fortunately 
secured both. In the morning Captain Willis and his wife and Colonel Browne accompanied 
Mrs. Ball and myself through the Garden of the Gods, and around through Colorado Springs 
and Colorado City, back to Manitou. On our return we urged the driver to move a little 
faster, as we were going down hill. He looked at us with an air of surprise, but said nothing, 
and continued to jog along at the same gait. Hereupon I spoke with a little more emphasis, 
when he pointed in silence to a stream near which we happened to be moving, which was 
dancino- merrily along /;/ the opposite direction. We were deceived by looking at Pike's Peak 
and other mountains in the distance. This peak has deceived many in regard to heights and 
distances, ever since the day when Zebulon Pike, finding himself, as he thought, close by it,. 
started for a short stroll to its summit; and then, after toiling wearily along for many hours,. 



MAXITOU SPRIGS AJ^D PIKE'S PEAK. 



239 



without apparently getting any nearer, concluded that it was unapproachable, and postponed 
the attempt. Now, however, the journey can be made by the Manitou & Pike's Peak Railroad 
in a few Iiours. 



S 

> 

H 
O 
C 



z 

o 

> 
Z 

o 



-3 

SI 




240 



piojYeees of '49. 



The entire length of the road is eight and seventy-four one-hundredths miles. The full 
description, obtained from President Hurlburt and Chief Engineer Richardson, is as 
follows : — 







J^ 









<, 









' ^:l 




'/■•■A i^ -a, . 



^^>0^{ ^j; 




'*^- 



;*v^ 



% 



■^"^ 



X. 



-5Sfc 







pike's peak railway through hell gate. 



The road-bed is fifteen feet wide. Every two hundred or four hundred feet, according to 
grade, are sunk cross-sections of masonry, to which the track is tied, so that absolute rigidity 



THE PIKE'S PEAK RAILROAD. 



241 



IS secured. There is not a single foot of trestle-work on the entire line, and only three short 
bridges, these being constructed in the most substantial manner, entirely of iron. The maxi- 
mum curvature is only i6 degrees, which gives a radius of 359 feet. The average ascent per 
mile is 1,320 feet. The total rise from base to summit is 7,525 feet. The cost of grading 
alone will be over $120,000. The road will be standard gauge, and laid with forty-pound 
steel rails. Between these, in the centre of the track, are placed two cog-rails, made of the 
finest Coca steel. A special chair has been manufactured for these rails, at Abt's great foun- 
dry, in Germany. On the Mount Washington road, and on that up the Rigi,the middle rail is 
constructed upon the principle of a ladder. This is cumbersome, provocative of great noise, 
and only allows a speed of two and three-fourths miles an hour. The speed attainable on the 
Pike's Peak road will be seventeen miles an hour, but the maximum rate will not be over eifrht 
miles, and the average not more than four miles. One cog-rail would be amply sufficient to do 
all the work, but two are inserted to insure safety. The cogs are fitted with such nicety that the 
variation of a fiftieth part of an inch in one of them will cause the whole rail to be rejected. 




THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. 



The engines are built by the Baldwin Company, of Philadelphia, and are of the latest pattern. 
"When on a level track, thev will stand at an 8 per cent, slant, and thus when the cars and 
engine are on a 16 per cent, grade, they will be level. There are three wheels on each side of 
the engine, which revolve on the axles and merely act as guides, and to sustain the weight. 
There are three driving cog-wheels which interdigitate with the cog-rails, and thus when the 
engine is in position, the track is in reality a part of tJie tiigiiic. The weight of the engine is 
thirty-two tons. Two of the cog-drivers will be in constant use, and the third will be reserved 
for emergencies. The cars are building at Springfield, Mass., and will be arranged on a 
" slant " corresponding with that of the engine, and each one is fitted with an independent 
cog-brake. The engine will push the cars up the mountain, and will be in front of them in 
making the descent. No coupling will be used, and each car will be entirclv independent of 
the other. The descent could be made in perfect safety without an engine. The cars will 
seat fifty passengers each, though nearly twice that number can be accommodated in case of 
necessity. 

"The 'Peak' is the barometer for all the country round about and is a great puzzle to the 
uninitiated, for though the sky be as blue and clear as on a midsummer day, if a little cloud no 
bigger than a powder puff rests on its summit there is sure to be a blow or a snow, and on the 



242 



PIOKEERS OF '49. 



other hand, a leaden sky, however dark and threatening, means nothing if the giant mountaim 
stands out clearly defined. 

" Mrs. Touzalin, the daughter of the late Mr. Justice Miller, owns a ranch about ten miles- 
south of the springs, and a more ideal spot it would be hard to find. The place stands on high 
ground right at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain and in the midst of a beautiful grove of pines. 

From the southeast piazza of 
the cozy house there is an un- 
broken view of the plains, 
which seem to stretch on and 
on to the very end of the world. 
The silence is so intense and sO' 
soothing that you feel as if under 
a spell, and sit and gaze at the 
wonderful sun-flooded expanse 
with the shadows of clouds fly- 
ing across it, until the meaning 
and the delight of the ' dolce far 
iiiente'' is borne in upon your 
soul. Behind you rises the rug- 
ged mass of mighty Cheyenne 
with 'its jagged top cutting into 
the vivid blue of the sky. The 
wind sweeps through the pines, 
and you close your eyes and 
imagine that the prairie sea is 
breaking in surf at your feet. 
The crested bluejays flit through 
the branches with almost start- 
ling flashes of brilliant color, 
and your whole being is steeped 
in content. A magic place is 
that Touzalin ranch." 

Cheyenne Mountain is one of 
the most prominent peaks in the 
foot-hills surrounding Manitou, 
and, aside from the massive- 
ness of its form, the beauty 
of its canons, the charm of its 
waterfalls, has the interesting 
but sad association of being the 
burial-place of Mrs. Helen Hunt Jackson, the poet and litterateur, known to the world under 
her nom de phcvie of " H. H." 




IN CHEYENNE CANON. 



"Such graves as these are pilgrim shrines- 
Shrines to no code or creed confined, 
The Delphian Vales, the Palestines, 
The Meccas of the mind." 



THE GARB EX OF THE GODS. 



243 




" For here in Nature's arms there lies asleep 
One who loved Nature with a passion deep, 
Who knew her language, and who read her book, 
Who sang her music, which the bird, the brook, 
The winds, the woods, the mountain, and the seas 
Chant ever in commingling harmonies." 

The entrance to the Garden of the Gods is a massive gatevi^ay, whose portals are of rock 
rising 330 feet from the almost level path. The outer parapet is white as snow, while the huge 
perpendicular rocks glow with red 
and pink coloring. It is difficult to fS 
persuade one's self that a master 
sculptor has not preceded us, and 
labored assiduously to produce the 
most wonderful effects in archi- 
tecture and statuary. One is re- 
minded of Palmyra and the Nile, 
Athens and Rome, Venice and 
Milan. Here are a "Statue of 
Liberty," a " Cathedral Spire," a 
"Lion," a "Griffin," and other 
curious figures. As Charles Dud- 
ley Warner says of the Grand 
Cafion of the Colorado: — 

"Human experience has no pro- 
totype of this region, and the im- 
agination has never conceived of 
its forms and colors. It is impos- 
sible to convey an adequate idea 
of it by pen, pencil or brush." 

The rocks are of granite and red 
sandstone; the former so hard in 
places as to almost turn the edge 
of a good steel drill, the other soft 
enough, here and there, to be whit- 
tled with a jackknife. The images 
varv in hei^rht from 100 to 200 feet. 

Balanced Rock is a boulder, weighing about 275 tons, thirty-five feet in diameter near the 
top, and resting upon a base four feet across, — 

" As if an infant's hand might urge 
Its headlong passage down the verge." 

The Manitou Journal says : — 

"The Grand Caverns were accidentally discovered by their present owner, Mr. George 
Snider, in the spring of 1881, while hunting deer, but were not opened to the public until 
1885, since which time thousands of visitors have passed through them. They are located 
one and a half miles from Manitou amid some of the most diversified scenery. The drive up 
Ute Pass, along the mountain side, is pleasant and picturesque. The view to be obtained 




GATEWAY TO THE GARDEN OF THE GODS. 



244 



riOXEERS OF '49. 




r.ALANCED ROCK. 



from the entrance to the cavern is fine, indeed. Away in the distance, proudly rearing aloft 

its snow-capped head, is Pike's Peak, the 'lone sentinel' of the Rockies, frowning down 

upon us; nestled in the quiet vale below is Manitou; 

on the plain beyond, glittering in the sunlight, rise the ■ 

spires and steeples of Colorado Springs. 

" Fallins into Indian file, we march through the avenue 

or entrance into the Vestibule or Rotunda. There are 

three hallways or corridors leading from here to the 

different chambers or departments. The Vestibule is 

by no means void of interest, the rock-ribbed walls, the 

high-arched, frescoed ceiling, the diversified stalactites* 

and stalagmites, all blend in strange harmony. In one 

end of this chamber stands a monument to Grant. It 

was built from loose stone at hand, each visitor putting 

a single stone in place. 

" Leaving the Vestibule, we pass through Canopy 

Avenue, in which we find fossils, bones, teeth — relics 

of human beings and wild animals, to Alabaster Hall, 

and on to Stalactite Hall, where it terminates, after 

passing up a stairway of ten steps, the only one in the 

entire route. Here we find stalactites and stalagmites 

in almost countless numbers, and grotesque figures in 

every conceivable form and position, among 
them being representations of a Texas steer, 
silver cord, white owl, the broken column, wax 
candle, duck's head, horse-shoe tunnel, ape, etc. 
" Returning to the Vestibule, we pass through 
the Narrows and enter the Opera House, the 
most wonderful structure, so to speak, of all the 
wonders. The ceiling is fifty or sixty feet in 
height. There are regularly-formed galleries. 
The floor of this great chamber, and also of 
Concert Hall, with which it is connected, is 
level; the walls are draped with fine curtains, 
and the ceilings are gorgeously frescoed. In 
the farther end of Concert Hall is the Grand 
Organ. The keys are composed of musical 
stalactites and give forth sweet sounds. Our 
guide, an accomplished musician, assigned us 
seats in the parquet and discoursed some very 
beautiful music on this wonderful organ, 
wrought and fashioned by the Great Architect. 
Fine statuary, symmetrical in form and grace- 
ful in appearance as though carved and chiseled 
by a master hand, which has been forming 
throughout the countless ages by chemical 
processes, heightens the effect and makes com- 




•;S4«. 



MAJ^ITOU SPRUNG S. 



245 



j 



plete the scenic grandeur which reminds one of the Coliseum at Rome. This room, or 
amphitheatre, is almost five hundred feet long. 

" Passing on, we come to the Jewel Casket, which contains some very fine specimens, which 
have been growing under the ground, like coral in the sea, for ages and ages. Here 'on the 

"" ■•■ .. walls are card racks, there being a separate 

^ ,.' > division for each State, and all being well 

represented. After passing through 
, Lover's Lane, we beheld Grandma's 
I Churn and a flock of crystal sheep, 
, besides other noted curiosities. In a 
I recess in one tunnel is a perfect 
■ natural dungeon. Beyond this is a 
petrified cascade. Then comes the 
Bridal Chamber. Here is a whole 
museum of wonders. There is more to 
dazzle and astonish the beholder than 
in any other chamber. Translucent sta- 
lactites still forming, with a tiny drop of 
J water trembling on their tips, glistening 
-^ and glittering like a dew drop in the morn- 
ing sun. This cavity appears to have been 
designed as a receptacle in wliich Nature would 
treasure her gems and jewels. Artistic formations 
of skill and grace are here deposited. Tiny flowers of 
crystal, gorgeous to behold, skillfully wrought, are inter- 
laced and entwined into floral wreaths, which rival the 
regal diadem in splendor and dazzling brilliancy." 
Manitou Springs is often called the "Saratoga of the West"; 
but it is something more than a fashionable resort, where the 
giddy hold festivity the season through : it is a place of health 
and recuperation. A noted writer, who has passed a season here, 
; says : — 

"In short, it is the mellow sunlight ever streaming down, the scenic, 
cheerful surroundings, the tempera^^e clime in a northern locality, the 
healing waters of the Chalybeate Springs all combined that make this 
the matchless resort, and sanitarium of the continent. There is here a 
golden harvest of mellow autumn days throughout the winter. The har- 
monious surroundings, the vitalizing mountain air, the tinctured, efferves- 
cent waters make a magic tonic, prepared in Nature's great laboratory, 
wiiich will soothe and heal the overtaxed system, and impart vitality and 
energy to all ; for all the conditions that are required to promote life and health, pleasure 
and recreation, are clustered around this proud and peerless resort of the Rockies." 

Near the Garden of the Gods is a village of prairie-dogs. The town is situated on the road 
which passes through the Great Gateway to Colorado City, and may be seen on a little 
plateau to the left. Here are a great number of little hills of sand and gravel thrown up by 
the dogs around their burrows. The little fellows can be seen at work around their dwellino-s. 
or sitting on their haunches sunning themselves, and chattering gaily with some neighbor. 




/2« 



THE GRAND ORGAN. 



246 



TIOKEEBS OF '49. 



'J 



\ 



M 






The burrow has an easy incline for about two feet, then descends perpendicularly for five or 
six, and after that branches off obliquely. It is often as large as a foot in diameter. The 
dogs at home are neat little fellows, and allow no litter to accumulate around their doors. 
They go to bed early, and never go around disturbing their neighbors before daylight. 

Tuesday morning, May 13, we left Manitou on our own broad-gauge Pullman train, which 
we could now appreciate fullv, after our long ride in the observation car. We passed through 

Colorado Springs again, where we were shown house- 
lots that sold five years ago for $600, which are now 
held at $25,000. At Divide, twenty-three miles further 
north and fifty-two miles from Denver, is Palmer Lake, 
with an elevation of 7,544 feet. At times of high water 
tlic flow from the lake is in both directions — southward 
to a tributary of the Arkansas, and northward into the 
South Platte. The natural discharge is into the latter 
stream. Near the station of Castle Rock, nineteen 
miles beyond Divide, there are some bold rock forma- 
tions on the right, one of which has given the place its 
name. 

We arrived at Denver about noon, and dined in the 
large hall of the Union Depot, which is one of the finest 
buildings for railway uses in America. We spent the 
afternoon in drives about the capital, which Stanley 
Wood so well describes : — 

" There are only a few cities in the world that please 
at first sight. Denver is one of this favored few. The 
liking one gets for Boston, Philadelphia, or London, is 
an acquired taste, but one falls in love at once with Paris, 
Denver, or San Francisco. It does not follow that, 
because the cities mentioned are immediately pleasing, they must of necessity resemble each 
other, any more than that a peach, an apple, and an orange should have a similar flavor. We 
like the fruit and we like the cities intuitively, but not for the same reasons. One feels a 
sense of exhilaration in the atmosphere of the capital of Colorado. The grand view of the 
Snowy Range of mountains to the north and west, and the broad expanse of horizon-bounded 
plains to the east and south, exalt the spirits, the bland but bracing breezes cool tlie fevered 
pulse, and the abundant oxvgen of the air thrills one like a draught of effervescing champagne. 
A beautiful city, beautifully situated, is Denver, with broad, tree-shaded streets, along each 
side of which flow streams of sparkling water, necessary to the growth of vegetation in a coun- 
try where the annual rainfall is less than fifteen inches, with public buildings of massive pro- 
portions and attractive architecture, with residences erected in accordance with the canons of 
good taste, with innumerable lawns of shaven grass, ornamented with shrubs and flowers, 
with charming suburbs and an outlying country, studded with fertile farms and flowering or 
fruiting orchards, peace is within her dwellings, and plenty within her jDalaces. It has now 
seventeen railroads, two cable roads constructed, three motor lines, one circle or belt railroad, 
sweeping around the southwestern segment of the city's circumference, and thirty-two miles 
of first-class street railway, which is being rapidly replaced by the extension of the cable road. 
The town is lighted by gas and electricity, has paid fire and police departments, and obtains 
its water from mountain sources, and from over 300 artesian wells, varying in depth from 350 




ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE OF THE WINDS. 



THE CAPITAL OF COLORADO. 



247 



to i,6oo feet. The public buildings, exclusive of churches and schools, cost $4,000,000. The 
real'estate belonging to the city is worth $2,000,000, the bonded debt is only $400,000, and the 




asses 

000 



sed valuation is $37,500,000, while its commerce is now annually not less tlian $100,000,- 
Denver is situated at the junction of Cherry Creek and the Platte River, and, in addition 



248 PIONEERS OF '49. 

to being the capital of the State, is the county seat of Arapahoe County. All the railroads 
which centre here land their passengers at the Union depot. The street leading from the main 
entrance of the station up town is Seventeenth street, and on this, just outside of tlie depot 
park, is situated the central station of the City Street Railway Company. The street and cable 
cars pass directly by the leading hotels. Prices for carriage transportation are regulated by 
ordinance, and extortion prohibited by law. There are many objects of interest : the smelters,, 
the public buildings, the Grand Opera House — which is the handsomest in the world, with 
the sole exception of the Grand Opera House in Paris, — the system of irrigation, the magnifi- 
cent private residences, the homes of mining princes and cattle barons, the lovely suburbs, and 
the United States military post. The hotel accommodations of Denver are probably the most 
complete of any city of its population in the country. There are six first-class hotels provided 
with all modern improvements, to say nothing of some forty odd less pretentious ones." The 
Union depot is 503 x 69 feet, and its tower is 165 feet high. The capitol is 295 x 192 feet, and 
325 feet high to the top of its dome. The Tabor Opera House cost over $900,000 for the site 
and building. 

We saw but one thing of importance to criticise. It had been raining not long before we 
arrived, and, as the soil is a reddish clay and the streets not paved, we had a splendid chance 
to show the younger members of our party what miners meant by "slumgullion." 

The city was born of the Pike's Peak gold excitement in 1858-59. In i860 it was a strag- 
gling camp, consisting principally of log cabins and tents. In 1870 it had 4,579 inhabitants; 
in 1880, 35,719; and within the succeeding year over 600 buildings were erected, while the 
population increased to over 40,000. The present number of inhabitants is estimated at 
between 80,000 and 90,000. 

Wm. M. Thayer, in " iMarvels of the New West," writes : — 

"At the banquet of 'Pioneers' in Denver, Sept. 13, 1883, —an association of men who 
settled in Colorado previous to 1861, — Governor Steele, who was one of the members, said : — 

'" I landed in Denver on the 4th of May, 1859. There was nothing but tents and cabins 
about here. We had fought our way against the current that had turned back, who told us 
the country was a barren land ; that we would starve to death ; that Green Russell had not 
found anything; and that the reports we had heard were lies. We dared not oppose them, 
nor declare that we intended to come on to the end, because they were so determined not to 
allow any one to sacrifice himself, as they called it, that they were ready to mob and hang us 
if we did not yield. We had to steal away from them in order to go on.' 

" No persons are more amazed over the growth of Denver, and, indeed the whole New 
West, than the ' '59ers ' (as they have been called), who made fortunes when they struck 
the junction of Platte River and Cherry Creek." 

We were introduced to a number of prominent '59ers, and an enterprising set of men they 
seemed to be. 



ijs'discrimijYAte slaughter of buffaloes. 249 



CHAPTER XXVI 



NEBRASKA PORT HURON NIAGARA. 

Not to the domes where crumbling arch and column attest the feebleness of mortal hand, 
But to that fane, most catholic and solemn, which God hath planned ; 

To that cathedral, boundless as our wonder, whose quenchless lamps the sun and moon supply; 
Its choir the winds and waves, its organ thunder, its dome the sky. 

— Horace Smith. 

WE proceed at 6 p. m., and enter the State of Nebraska, not far from Julesburg, and con- 
tinue along the banks of the South Platte River until it unites with the North Platte, 
eighty miles farther east, from whicli point the railway follows the main Platte nearly to its 
mouth. Nebraska has an area of 75,995 square miles, — a greater area than England and 
Wales possess, or some 11,000 more than the six New England States combined, — and yet it 
is said that few States have so little waste land. The section of the State we enter first is in 
the centre of the cattle region. Both Ogalalla and North Platte are large shipping points. 
Near the latter place Hon. William F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill," has a fine horse ranch. Colonel 
Cody's popular name is suggestive of the rapid disappearance of the bison. In this connec- 
tion a recent article in the Chronicle is suggestive : — 

"' Their masters have no other riches or subsistence. Of them they eat, they drink, they 
apparel, they shoe themselves, and of their hides thev make many things, as houses, shoes, 
clothing, and ropes ; of their bones they make bodkins ; of their sinews and hair, thread ; of 
their horns, maws, and bladders, vessels ; of their dung, fire ; of their calves' skins, budgets, 
wherein they draw and keep water. To be short, they make as many things of them as they 
have need of, or as many as suffice them in the use of this life.' " 

" So wrote Castenado, the historian of Coronado's famous march in search of the 'seven 
cities of Cibola ' across the great central plains of North America, only forty-eight years after 
the discovery of the New World by Columbus. So wrote Castenado of the American bison 
and the American Indian. 

" It almost seems trite to say that the miscalled buffalo is raj^idly disappearing from the 
plains they once roamed in herds so vast and mighty that coming suddenly upon an immigrant 
train in their trail the men, women, horses, wagons and everything belonging to the train have 
been literallv trampled into so much dirt and debris by the mad rush. Yet the assertion is 
ventured by way of introduction to the following figures which have recently been compiled 
by Henry Inman: In the thirteen years from 1868 to 18S1 — during which the buffaloes were 
indiscriminately slaughtered for the sake of their hides — in the State of Kansas alone the 
sum of $2,500,000 was paid out for the bones of dead buffaloes gathered on the prairies. 
They were used by the various carbon works of the country, principally those in St. Louis. 
But the significance of these figures is not fully revealed till it is explained that the price paid 
averaged only $8 a ton, and that it took the bones of 100 carcasses to make a ton. Thus in 
Kansas over thirty-one millions of buffaloes were killed in only thirteen years. 



^50 PIOXEERS OF '49. 

"In 18S9 thirteen buffaloes were discovered in Wyoming. Eight of these were captured, 

'but five of them died in a few months. For all practical purposes — save the one to be herein 

explained — the American bison is as much an extinct species as the dodo or great auk, and 

only in menageries and zoological collections of considerable pretensions are specimens of 

the buffalo still to be seen. 

" The ancient historian seems to have enumerated nearly every use to which the dead bison 
may be put, but he could not possibly foresee that in modern times, when the species should 
be almost extinct, it would be used to improve American beef. Yet that is what is being done 
now. There are several so-called buffalo farms in different parts of the western States, where 
the bison is raised for the sole purpose of mixing their blood with that of the ordinary cattle. 

"And the reason is obvious. All the choice meat from cattle is cut from the hindquarters, 
while the choice cuts in the bison are in the shoulders. It was the Hon. C. J. Jones of Kan- 
sas who first thought of crossing the bre'eds for the purpose of increasing the quantity of 
choice cuts. More than this, the crosses with black cattle have produced exceedingly fine 
robes, which are as handsome as sealskins. Although not so fine and delicate, they are far 
superior to the best of buffalo robes and they have brought in market as high a price as $280. 

" When properly crossed they carry at least 200 pounds of the choicest meat on the hump. 
This is cut into sirloin and porterhouse steaks and brings fifty cents a pound quite readily. 
The great advantage in crossing the breeds is their subsequent hardiness and capability of 
■carins for themselves in all kinds of weather. The blizzards of Manitoba, with the thermome- 
ter at 50 degrees below zero, do not disturb them in the least. No one who has ever seen a 
fine specimen will deny that they are well proportioned for meat-bearing animals, and it is 
thought that the experiment will result in a race of cattle fitted for our vast arid plains, where 
experience has taught that the native cattle cannot succeed. 

" The fact that buffalo meat was in former years condemned does not imply that by domes- 
ticating and keeping them quiet on plenty of good pasture, they will always yield the old tough 
beef, full of muscles, sinews, and cords. In fact, it has been demonstrated that by making 
steers of the calves they grow up to magnificent oxen with meat as tender as any known, and 
very delicious. By crossing the buffalo with the various strains of domestic cattle, five dis- 
tinct breeds have so far been created whose hardihood is remarkable. They care no more for 
the most violent blizzard than the mild-eyed Jersey, basking in the shade of the home lot, does 
for the gentlest June zephyr. Thus has been initiated a revolution in stock-raising in the high 
latitudes of the central continent that will be marvelous in after years." 

At Kearney I met my old friend, Dr. O. S. Marden, but only had time to shake hands, as 
the whistle blew too soon for me to get a good look at this young and enterprising city. We 
dined at Omaha, at the eastern end of the Union Pacific Railway, a lively and flourishing city 
of over 50,000 inhabitants, finely situated on the western shore of the Missouri River. 

This is a great railroad centre, is encircled by a belt line, has over twenty miles of horse 
railroads, and is well laid out, its wide streets being paved with stone and blocks of asphalt. 
The wholesale business here is over $75,000,000 yearly. We were told that there are in the 
city sixty churches, thirty school buildings, and two or three academies and colleges. Water 
from the Missouri River is filtered and used. There is a military post near the city, where 
soldiers are stationed by the government as reserves in case of Indian hostilities further north 
and west. In relation to the troubles which were then brewing with the Sioux, and which 
caused so much anxiety during the winter of 1890-91, I give the following quotations from 
well-informed writers : — 

Father Craft, the Indian missionary, who was wounded in the fight at Wounded Knee Creek, 



rXPREJUDICED TESTIMOXY 



251 



wrote thus to the Ilhistratcd American : " I authorize you to contradict for me in my name, 
through the press, the reports in circulation that blame the army for the sad tragedy at 
Wounded Knee Creek. Those reports do grave injustice to our soldiers, and are instigated 
by those adverse to an honorable settlement of the present trouble, and hostile to the desire of 
every true friend of the Indians, that they lie permanently transferred from the charge of the 
Indian Bureau to the War Department. It is only by such a transfer tliat the Indians can 
expect just treatment. The whole trouble originated througli interested whites, who had gone 
about most industriously and misrepresented the army and its movements upon all the 
agencies. The Indians were, in consequence, alarmed and suspicious. They had been led 




RA'I.ROAD STATION AT COUNCIL BLUFFS. 

to believe that the true aim of the military was their extermination. The troops acted with 
the greatest kindness and prudence. In the Wounded Knee fight the Indians fired first. The 
troops fired only when compelled to. I was between both, saw all, and know from an absolute 
knowledge of the whole affair whereof I say. The Indians state the case just as I do. I have 
every proof at hand, and when able will forward full statement and documentary evidence." 

Frank C. Armstrong, a United States Indian Inspector, wrote from Pine Ridge Agency, 
April, 1890, predicting the outbreak, and added: — 

"In former years this agency was allowed five million pounds of beef. This year it has 
been reduced to four million pounds. These Indians were not prepared for this change. No 
instructions had been given the agent that one million pounds of beef would be cut off from 
the Indians this year. Consequently, issues were made from the beginning of the fiscal year, 
July I, 1SS9, until the date of the final delivery of beef, about October 15, 1S89, on the basis 
of five million pounds for the year. This necessitated a large reduction in the beef issue after- 



& 



252 PIOJ^EEES OF '49. 

ward, to catch up with the amount, and came just at the worst season of the year. The Indians 
were kept at the agency between tliree and four weeks in the farming season of 1889, when 
they should have been at home attending to tlieir corn. Their enforced absence attending the 
Sioux Commission caused them to lose all they had planted, by the stock breaking in on their 
farms and destroying everything they had. They have been compelled to kill their private 
stock during the winter, to kee]) from starving, and, in some cases, have been depredating upon 
the stock of white people living near the line of the reservation. A bad feeling is growing 
among the Indians out of this, and may lead to trouble between the settlers and the Indians. 
The killing of a hoe: made the Nez Perces war, with Indians far more advanced than these 
people. The full allowance of beef should be given them. They complain, and with good 
grounds, tliat they were told by tlie Siou.x Commissioners that their rations, etc., should not be 
reduced ; that while this very talk was going on, the Department in Washington was fixing to 
cut off one-fifth of their meat supply, but did not let them know it, nor did the agent know it 
until they had signed the Sioux Bill. They had a good start in cattle, but have had to kill 
over three times as many of their own cattle, old and young, as they did the year before; that 
they have been deceived by the Government doing as it has done; and that they don't get 
as much now as they did before. I think cutting off this one million pounds of beef, and 
thereby forcing them to kill their own young cattle, has put them back two years or more in 
raising stock, and has created a feeling of distrust, which, unless something is done to repair 
it, will lead to trouble and bad conduct. They have now killed many of their own cattle, and 
will next commence to kill range cattle. Already hides and other evidences of this are being 
found on the reservation borders. Men will take desperate remedies sooner than suffer from 
hunger. Not much work can be expected with the present feeling. The Indians who advo- 
cated signing are now laughed at and blamed for being fooled. The Government must keep 
faith, as well as the Indians." 

The Indian chief, American Horse, said: — 

" It has been two years since this trouble started. General Crook and two commissioners 
came up here to make a treaty for our land. Red Cloud objected to selling. I was in favor 
of selling, or doing anything the Great Father wanted. Then they called us all into the 
agency, and kept us there for seven days. When we got back, our stock and everything 
about our houses was gone. Then our rations were cut down. From that day our people 
have been divided. Some were so excited they could hardly be controlled. I labored to 
keep them all together, and to have them do as the white man wanted. When cur rations 
were cut down, some of our people died. They had nothing to support life. The medicine 
was powerless. It was like the seed for our land — very poor. And the doctor was no better 
than our old women. Of course, we blame much of this on the agents, for many of tiiem have 
been bad. We complained, but it did not avail us. Thus it was many became so discouraged 
that they were easily led away by bad men. I say again, and will say it to the Great Father, 
that my people were nearly starved these last two years or more. And we were not clothed. 
Look at us. We are like men pulled out of the ditch — nothing but rags to cover us. They 
send us books, and give us good advice, but paper and wind will not keep life together. If 
the people of the East heard the way we were treated, they would refuse to believe it. The 
agent may cause a good deal of this, but why does the government fail to keep the treaties? 
It is cold weather, and yet our winter clothing has not come." 

The Denver N'eivs published this editorial : — 

"The old trouble, as old as the history of Indian wars on the frontier, has come to the 
surface at Pine Ridge. The Interior Department, through its thieving rings and contractors,. 



COUJfCIL BLUFFS. 253 

make the trouble, and the War Department, through its troops, is obliged to settle it. The 
Interior Department is responsible for the death of hundreds of settlers and the destruction 
of millions of dollars' worth of property. It never neglects an opportunity to handicap the 
troops, and is always on hand to gather up any spoils which may exist in the way of contracts. 
Its Indian Bureau is rotten to the core, and no change for the better can be hoped for or 
expected until the whole management and control of the Indians is turned over to the War 
Department. Of course, the hangers-on of the Interior Department are blind with rage at the 
action of General Miles in displacing the civil agents; but the people of the West, who 
understand the situation, will approve it, and they will also approve the position taken by 
President Harrison in sustaining General iVIiles.'' 

We crossed the Missouri River by the magnificent Union Pacific bridge, 2,750 feet long, 
which cost, it is said, $3,500,000, and halted at Council Bluffs. The population here is about 
25,000. The city is built upon a plain, and the low bluffs along the river give it its name. In 
the electric cars we took long rides, and saw many fine residences, good school houses and 
churches. We spent seven hours at Omaha and Council Bluffs, and then on the Chicago 
Rock Island & Pacific Railway, sped eastward, outriding a threatening storm. We stopped for 
breakfast at Davenport, where the keeper of the restaurant, a man weighing 350 pounds but 
spry as a bov, brought proudly in a huge dish of baked beans. New England style. He doubt- 
less expected to see the beans disappear rapidly ; for, when no one took any, he stared at us in 
blank amazement. This is a very handsome city: it was settled, we were informed, in 1830, 
and has a population of 25,000. 

Now for hundreds of miles we seem to sail across the evergreen sea of the prairie, in which 
like waterfowl, we see large numbers of cattle, horses, and sheep. Iowa and Illinois are crossed, 
and we enter the port of Blue Island Junction, where we had asked the World's Fair Com- 
mittee to meet us. They had not arrived, however, so each put $100 back into his wallet. I 
fear our contributions will have to be forwarded through the Treasurer of the United States 
and the gatekeepers of the exposition. 

As we ride from Denver to the Great Lakes, we are forcibly impressed by the wonderful 
fertility of the prairies. These rich fields produce a great variety and abundance of food sup- 
plies, which if of much value, would enrich the hard-working farmers. But we are assured 
that all of these things are of but nominal value here, and that it is very expensive to get them 
to market. The railroads and traders are not always satisfied when they have skimmed off all 
the cream of profit, but they often dip a little lower into the milk of cost. This, however, in a 
country whose population is increasing like ours, will change soon for the benefit of the farmer, 
who will then be independent as in former years. 

On the way we were amused by the waiters of our dining cars, who furnished an entertain- 
ment of no mean order; as, indeed, they had at several other places during our excursion. 
One of them quoted, as a sly hit at the men who handle whisk brooms and brushes : — 

" He who across our wondrous nation 
Within a sleeper takes a trip, 
And wins the porter's admiration, 
Won't find it far from tip to tip." 

We arrived in the evening at Port Huron, where we set our watches ahead one hour, to 
agree with Eastern Standard, or "home standard" time, as some one called it. The other 
changes were made at Ogden, Utah, and North Platte, Nebraska. We were delayed two 
hours in getting our cars across the ferry, and, althottgh the place is pleasantly situated, and 



254 PIOJfEEBS OF '49. 

has many fine buildings, we were most interested in the tunnel, since completed, of which I 
give a description from the Narragansett Herald oi Nov. 22, 1890: — 

" The United States is now connected with Canada by an avenue under the St. Clair river. 
It is in several respects the most notable and successful engineering feat of its kind on record. 
It is the longest river tunnel in the world, being 6,050 feet in all, 2,300 feet of which is under 
the river bed. Its outside diameter is twenty-one feet. It is the first cast-iron tunnel of its 
kind. It has been constructed at an unprecedented rate. Its prosecution has been attended 
with fewer casualties than any other similar work, one broken leg being the extent of the acci- 
dents, excepting two deaths of workmen, indirectly due to disregard of the company's orders 
regulating the use of air pressure. 

" What is perhaps yet more remarkable, the cost of its construction will come within the first 
estimate of three million dollars. 

" It is a little more than one year since the tunnel proper was begun, the steel shields having 
been lowered down inclines into the cuttings in August, 1SS9. Work on the cuttings, however, 
was begun in January, 1S89, and test shafts were sunk on both sides of the river in 1887. The 
St. Clair Tunnel Company was formed in the year 18S6. 

"From the American cutting to the river's edge is 1,800 feet; from the Canadian cutting, 
1,950 feet; under the river, 2,300. The approaches will be on the Canadian side 13,000 feet, 
on the Michigan side 9,000 feet. For the tunnel proper 2,196,400 feet of soil have been exca- 
vated. The cast-iron lining has required 55,962,500 pounds. There have been used in secur- 
ing this lining 859,242 bolts. 

"The walls of the tunnel are formed of thirteen cast-iron segments and a key. These seg- 
ments are cast with thirty-two holes in them, twelve in each side-flange and four in each end. 
The inside diameter of the tunnel is twenty feet. 

"The shield, which is operated simultaneously from each end of the tunneling, consists of a 
strong cylinder somewhat resembling a huge barrel with both heads removed. The front end 
of the cylinder is sharpened, so as to have a cutting edge to enter the earth. The rear end of 
the cylinder for a length of two feet or so is made quite thin, and is called the hood. Arranged 
around the main walls of the cylinder, and longitudinal therewith, are a series of hydraulic 
jacks, all operated from a common pump, each jack having cocks whereby it may be cut off 
from the pump whenever desired. 

"Within the shields are vertical and horizontal braces and shelves. When at work the iron 
plates or the masonry of which the tunnel is composed are first built up within the thin hood 
of the shield; the hydraulic jacks are then made to press against the end of the tunnel plates 
or masonry, which has the effect to push the shield ahead into the earth for a distance equal 
to the length of the pistons of the jacks, say two feet, or not quite the length of the hood, and 
as the shield advances, men dig out and carry back the earth through the shield. By the 
advance of the shield, the hood, within which the iron or masonry tunnel is built, is drawn 
partly off from and ahead of the constructed tunnel, thus leaving the hood empty. The pistons- 
of the hydraulic jacks are then shoved back into their cylinders, and a new section of tunnel 
is built up within the hood as before described. The shield is then pushed ahead, and so on. 

" Each shield is circular, 21 feet 7 inches in diameter, 16 feet long, and is built of plate steel 
one inch thick. It is divided into twelve compartments by means of two horizontal and three 
vertical stays, which are built up to a thickness of two inches. These stays have a knife 
edge in front, and extend back ten feet, leaving six feet of clear cylinder, into which the end 
of the tunnel extends. Ten of the compartments are permanently closed, and bracings of 
angle iron placed across them. The other two are provided with heavy iron doors, which can 



THE ST. CLAIR TUJf^EL. 255« 

be closed at once in case of accident or danger. These doors are situated at the bottom in 
the centre, and through them is passed all the excavated matter. 

" As soon as the present tunnel is in running order, another alongside of it will be begun^ 
using the same machinery, with the exception of the shells of the pair of shields, which it was 
impossible to remove." 

The Providence Simday Journal ihns describes the locomotives for this tunnel: — 

" The big Baldwin engine was built for the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, and is prob- 
ably the largest locomotive in the world. It has a guaranteed hauling capacity of 760 tons of 
2,240 pounds up a 2 per cent, grade, and will be operated in the recently completed tunnel 
under the St. Clair river. At either end of the tunnel, both under the river and in the cuttings 
of the approaches, there is about 5,000 feet of 2 per cent, grade. This is considered a partic- 
ularly handsome engine, and is well fitted to stand as an example of the best American prac- 
tice in the design of an economical type of heavy freight engine. It will be noticed that the 
run of these engines, for four of them are to be built, will be comparatively short, and the 
engine is to be run without a tender, three tons of coal being carried in the bunkers built at 
the rear, and the water being carried in the side tanks, directly over the wheels. Every pound 
of weight in the machine is available for adhesion, as every wheel is a driving wheel. The 
general dimensions of this engine are: Cylinders, 22 inches diameter, by 28 inches stroke; 
driving wheels, 50 inches diameter; tires, 3 inches thick, the middle pair blank and the rest 
flanged, all tires secured by Mansell retaining rings; boiler of 5-8 inches steel, 74 inches in 
diameter, probably the longest ever built for a locomotive, to carry 160 pounds steam pressure; 
tubes 281 in number, of iron, 2 1-4 inches in diameter, 13 feet 6 inches long; firebox 132 1-2 
inches long by 42 1-8 inches wide, with fire-brick arch and radial stays ; water tube grates with 
drop bars, for burning anthracite coal. The boiler fronts are of pressed steel, guides are of 
Laird type, side rods have solid ends, crossheads are of solid steel with phosphor bronze bear- 
ings, the tanks have a capacity of i,Soo gallons, and the coal storage is three tons. The cab 
is located on the middle of the engine, where the runner can see to advantage, while running 
in either direction. Westinghouse-American brakes, operated by air, are applied to the fronts 
of all wheels. There are two sand boxes for running either way, and a steam bell ringer. The 
weight of this engine in working order is 195,000 pounds. A co-efficient of friction on the 
rail of 600 pounds per ton is figured to give a hauling force on the draw-bar of 58,500 pounds. 
The resistance of a train of 760 tons on a grade of 2 per cent, is about 38,400 pounds. Add to 
this the resistance of the engine itself — about 5,000 pounds — and the total resistance to 
overcome is about 44,000 pounds. The engine, therefore, has considerable margin in which 
to work with a clean rail. The rails used will weigh 100 pounds per yard." 

We sleep as we journey through Canada, until within about 150 miles of Niagara Falls, 
where we arrive at i i.oo A. m. Friday, and remain five hours. 

The Niagara Falls Gazette says : — 

" Many minds have essayed to reproduce Niagara literally ; many pens have recorded the 
impression of visitors respecting it, without even faintly describing it: for there is no known 
rhythm whose cadence will attune itself to the tremendous hymn of this 'sound as of many 
waters,' neither will blank verse serve to fehearse its attributes in song. The best specimen 
of the latter was written by a gifted poet, who visited this locality especially to set forth its. 
beauties in verse, but who recorded only the following words : — 

' I came to see ! 
I thought to write ! 
I am but dumb'.'" 



256 



PIO.A'EEBS OF '49. 



With the experience of this writer in mind, I shall not attempt a description of the scenic 
features of the locality, but give instead some facts and figures gathered from the Gazette, 
the A^ew York Herald, Power-Steam, and the Scientific American. 




NIAGARA FALLS,— WEST SHORE RAILWAY ROUTE. 

Niagara Falls are in latitude 43 degrees 6 seconds north; longitude, 2 degrees 5 seconds 
west from Washington, or 79 degrees 5 seconds west from Greenwich. 

The dividing line between the United States and Canada runs through the center of the 
Horseshoe Falls and up and down stream through flie center of the deepest channel of the 
river. 

Niagara Falls are located in what is known as the Mile Strip — a strip of land one mile in 
width along the whole length of the American Bank of the Niagara River, reserved by the 
State of New York in its early sales, and sold by the State about 1800. Ascording to the 
State divisions, there were 107 lots in this strip, lot number 42 being located at the Falls. 



KIAGAEA FALLS. 257 

In its course the Niagara River falls 336 feet, as follows: From Lake Erie to the Rapids 
above the Falls, 15 feet; in the Rapids, 55 feet; at the Falls, 161 feet; from Falls to Lewiston, 
98 feet; from Lewiston to Lake Ontario, 7 feet. 

The Horseshoe or Canadian Falls are 3,000 feet wide and 165 feet high. The American Falls 
are 800 feet wide and 160 feet high. Over Niagara pour 58,000 barrels of water per second, 
3,480,000 per minute, 208,800,000 per hour. 

From records kept, a rise in the height of water of one foot above the Falls, will bj- actual 
measurement, raise it ijy^ feet below. 

Between the Falls and the Whirlpool, the depth varies from 75 to 200 feet. At the Whirl- 
pool Rapids, it is estimated at 250 feet; in the Whirlpool, at 400. But it should be recalled 
that this is the depth of the water alone. The mass of stone, gravel, shale, etc., which in one 
way and another has been carried into the channel, lies below the water and above the original 
bottom of the gorge, which, therefore, is probabl}' as deep again. 

The name Niagara is supposed to be borrowed from the language of the Iroquois, and means 
"The Thunderer of the Waters." It was the name of a tribe, for it was an Indian custom to 
call their tribes from the most important natural feature of the country they inhabited, or to 
give the tribal name to such feature. 

Within the memory of men now living the Falls have receded 100 feet. This naturally 
prompts the question. Where did the retrocession begin? Geologists tell us, and their answer 
is accepted as conclusive, at the mountain near Lewiston. The whole waters of the lakes 
there foamed over this dam, which was several miles in width. This accounts for the shells, 
etc., which have been found on Goat Island, it having been submerged ; also for the shells 
found on the land along the river up-stream — shells which enabled Lyell, Hall and others to 
prove that the Niagara once flowed through a shallow valley. 

Various estimates place the number of years required by the Falls to have cut their way 
irom Lewiston to their present location at from 35,000 to 72,000. The latter number is 
probably but a fraction of the great age of the coralline limestone over which the water 
ilows. 

After the freedom of the United States had been recognized, a dispute arose as to who 
should own that part of Western New York lying West of Seneca Lake. Commissioners 
finally gave New York the jurisdiction, and Massachusetts the ownership. The land was first 
sold to Phelps & Gorham, and as they failed to fulfil their agreement, Robert Morris acquired 
it, and afterwards sold the western part to the Holland Land Company, though the Mile Strip 
■was not included in any of the above sales. The part purchased by the company is known as 
the Holland Land Purchase. 

The Niagara Falls reservation — sometimes loosely denominated the Niagara Falls Park, 
and improperly so, as it is in no sense a park in the usual acceptation of the term — is the out- 
come of a prolonged and laborious agitation. The first public step was the message of Gov- 
ernor Lucius Robinson to the New York Legislature in 1879. Referring to a conference 
between Lord Dufferin, then Governor-General of Canada, and himself in the previous sum. 
mer, the Governor urged the enclosure '-of a suitable space on each side of the river from 
which annoyances and e.\actions should be excluded." 

The Legislature by joint resolution referred the matter to the Commissioners of the State 
Survey, by whom a very rough examination was made. They recommended the acquisition by 
the State of a limited area about the Falls. Memorials to the Legislature, bearing the endorse- 
ment of a host of distinguished men, both here and abroad, urged immediate action. An 
association of the most prominent men in the country was formed to enlist the sympathy of 



258 PIOiKEERS OF '49. 

the people and rouse them to an adequate sense of the importance of speedy action in order 
to save Niagara. 

The first Niagara bill, passed April 30, 1882, provided for the appointment of a commission 
by the Governor to locate, survey and appraise the lands necessary for such a reservation. 
Gov. Cleveland appointed five commissioners, and this commission proceeded at once to fix 
upon an area sufficient to secure the free enjoyment and proper protection of the Falls. The 
area included Goat Island, The Three Sisters, Bird Island, Luna Island, Chapin Island, and 
the small islands adjacent to them in the Niagara River, and also a strip of land on the shore, 
beginning at Port Day and running to and including Prospect Park. This latter strip is from 
100 to 200 feet wide through the greater portion of its length. The whole area included 107 acres. 

On September 22, 1S84, the appraisers made their report, which was subsequently con- 
firmed. Setting aside the claims of the land-owners for water-rights in the stream, they 
awarded a total sum for the entire area of $1,433,429.50. On the presentation of the commis- 
sioners' report, the acquisition of the reservation was authorized by the Legislature. An act 
was passed appropriating a sum sufficient to pay the awards, and authorizing an issue of bonds 
for the purpose. 

On July 15, 1885, the reservation was declared open, with impressive and appropriate cere- 
monies. The governor of the State, with many distinguished guests, was present. The 
administration of the reservation is under the charge of five commissioners. 

The Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, on the Canadian side of the falls, was opened to the 
public May 24, 1888. It covers an area of 154 acres, and embraces the land adjacent to the 
falls, and also a considerable territory above and below them. 

For many years it was a matter of frequent comment that at Niagara there existed an enor- 
mous water-power not utilized. Foreigners visiting the locality expressed their astonishment 
that a people so inventive and enterprising as the Americans should allow the unlimited power 
of Niagara to be wasted, without attempting to divert a fraction of the force flowing by their 
doors to increase the natural prosperity of their country. 

The feasibility of applying a portion of the power of the cataract to the comforts and neces- 
sities of mankind, has been discussed for many years by the scientists and manufacturers of 
America, and several undertakings for the utilization of so much as the immediate locality 
required were carried out by local enterprise, but the limited demand in a comparatively new 
and undeveloped country, and the existence of many small water-powers in the New Eng- 
land States and other sections of the country permitted the great natural reservoir at Niagara 
to remain practically untouched, until the removal of the forests impaired, and in many 
instances destroyed, the water-power at other places. 

The early French explorers and traders, impressed by the magnitude of Niagara's strength, 
built a mill beside the Rapids above the Falls. In colonial times the British selected a site in 
the same neighborhood, and erected a mill, used for preparing timbers for fortifications along 
the river. Immediately below, directly behind the Cataract House, on what is now the State 
Reservation, were subsequently erected the Stedman and Porter mills, the first structures of 
the kind on the Western Frontier. These were soon followed by the construction of the two 
large race-ways, which are still in existence, and which were occupied by manufacturing estab- 
lishments, as was also Bath Island, situated in the rapids above the American Falls. 

The water-power at Niagara was first utilized, on a large scale, by the construction of the 
Hydraulic Canal, about three-quarters of a mile in length, commencing at a point on the shore 
of the river, above the Falls, where the river is deep and navigable, and terminating on the 
high bank of the gorge below the Falls. 



NIAGARA FALLS. 



259 



The sudden change of level in the Niagara River, constitutes a natural dam over whose 
crest is discharged the surplus water of the most magnificent series of mill ponds in the world, 
comprising Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and Lake Erie, a total 



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of 87,600 square miles of reservoir surface, into which is drained 241,235 miles of watershed, 
a territory double the area of Great Britain and Ireland. With this immense reserve the level 
of the river is practically constant, and it simply remains to work the water from the level of 



260 PIOXEERS OF '40. 

the river above the Falls to that of the rapids below in such a manner as to utilize the energy 
of its descent to control a source of power which shall be constant year in and year out and 
every day in the year, at no expense beyond the maintenance of the machinery of transform- 
ation and transmission, and the interest on its cost. 

On March ii, 1886, by act of the New York Legislature, the Niagara River Hydraulic 
Tunnel Power and Sewer Company was incorporated. The plan of this company is to bring 
the differences in level in a vertical plane, not by the construction of a long canal from the 
river to below the falls and a short tail race to the lower river as is usually done, but by the 
opposite method of a long tail race from a point below the falls back to a point upon the river 
above, where the power can be advantageously utilized, and a short canal to convey the water 
from the river to that point. 

A tunnel 29 feet in height and 18 feet in width is to be excavated from a point on the river 
bank just below the foot bridge on the American side, and carried back over 200 feet beneath 
the village of Niagara Falls, commencing at such a level that 14 of the 29 feet in height of the 
mouth of the tunnel are submerged, and extending with a rising grade of seven-tenths of i per 
cent, to a point about a mile and a fourth above the falls, where it will still be about 165 feet 
below the level of the river. Here a canal will be built directly over the line of the sub- 
terranean tunnel, and drawing water from the river will discharge it with a head of 165 feet 
into the tunnel below through water-wheels. 

The flow of the Niagara River at the falls equals 12,785,455 cubic feet total flow per minute, 
or about 213,000 cubic feet per second. Measurements by the Lake Survey Board indicate 
the average flow of the river to be 265,000 cubic feet per second. The New York Herald oi 
a recent date says : — 

"When brought to its conclusion, the plan proposed will develop 120,000 horse-power, and 
there will be then drawn from the great stream only four tenths of i per cent, of the volume of 
passing water. In other words, the change in the condition of the falls by the diversion of 
this microscopic volume of water will not differ materially from that produced by an ordinary 
chano-e of wind from northeast to the southwest, or vice versa, by its pressure of water into 
or back from Niagara River at its lake inlet." 

The sources whence come the water that pours over Niagara are : — 

Miles long. Miles wide Feet deep. 

Lake Superior 355 ^^o 1,030 

Lake Huron 260 lOO 1,000 

Lake Michigan 320 70 1,000 

Lake St. Clair 49 ^5 -° 

Lake Erie 290 65 84 

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water in the world. Several smaller lakes, with 
100 rivers, large and small, pour their waters this way, draining a country of more than 
1 50,000 square miles. This is the drainage of almost half a continent, and its remotest springs 
are 2,000 miles from the ocean. With such a supply, it is not surprising that the volume of 
Niagara River is never noticeably diminished. 

There are now in successful operation at the falls, the works of three flour-mill companies ; 
one brewery; two manufactories of pulp, two of paper, and one of pulp and paper; two cooper- 
shops; one check-book manufactory; and the Oneida Community's establishment for making 
plated-ware and chains. Railroad sidings have been laid to every mill-door, and over 30,000 
car-loads of mill freight are now handled in a year. 



THE AUTOGRAPH CRAZE. 261 



CHAPTER XXVII 



THE HOME STRETCH. 

" Yet unto thee, New England, still, thy wandering sons shall stretch their arms, 
And thy rude chart of rock and rill seem dearer than the land of palms ; 
Thy massy oak and mountain pine more welcome than the banyan's shade, 
And every free, blue stream of thine, sound sweeter than the music made 
By Oriental waves, which glow and sparkle with the wealth below ! " 

THE speech of John F. Nickerson, in handing i^NO fine views of Niagara Falls to Miss F. 
iM. Gleason, is given in illustration of the friendships formed on our excursion: — 

Dear Miss Flora : Five weeks ago we left Boston for the Golden West, and most of the 
passengers on the Allende met for the first time. Very many things have tended to make our 
trip one of great pleasure, — the beautiful valleys of California with their snow-covered peaks, 
and the kind hospitalities everywhere showered upon us, — but most of all has been the forma- 
tion of new and dear friendships. To yourself is due the credit of adding greatly to our enjoy- 
ment by your many little acts of kindness, and your bright and cheerful manner, always ready 
in your sweet, kind way, to help one and all. As this is the twenty-first anniversary of your 
birthday, your associates on the Allende have requested me to present you with this slight 
token of our love and esteem for you, which you will not value for its intrinsic worth (as our 
pocket-books are nearly dry), but for the kind feelings which in this way we express. We 
hope the future of your life may be one of happiness, and in years to come, if you or yours 
should look upon this gift, we trust your memory will recall the happy twenty-first anniversary, 
May i6, 1890, — on the Allende, — en route ior Boston. 

About this time two ladies entered our car, attracting no particular attention, even when it 
was noticed that they stopped and apparently examined the ticket-book of every passenger, as 
if they were deputy conductors. But when they were followed by others who repeated the 
examination, while those interviewed began to rise and join in the novel proceedings, our curi- 
osity was roused to the highest pitch. Had an epidemic of very contagious lunacy broken 
out, had there been some loss, some theft, or what was the matter? Our train was going fifty 
miles an hour, and we could not escape, so we awaited mysterious fate with outward calmness 
but inward trepidation, as the increasing crowd moved down upon us. The foremost lady 
stretched out her hand containing a ticket book, with all the dignity of an accusing angel, and 
said : " Will you please give me your autograph on one of these stubs 1 " The craze raged 
like a prairie fire while it lasted, but to those who signed their names a hundred times or more, 
no serious harm resulted. 

Our next halt was for an hour and a half at Syracuse, which we reached at 9.00 P. m., but 't 
was too dark to see much; so we retired, to awaken next morning at the Fitchburg tunnel. It 
was decided not to wait until we reached Boston to say farewell amid the hurry and confusion 



262 PIO.YEERS OF '49. 

incident to the return ; so we all gathered on the platform at Fitchburg and sang the 
following: — 

PARTING SONG. 

HON. B. F. WHITTEMORE. 

Air — Hoi?ie, Siveet Home. 

We have passed o'er the mountains, 

The valleys and the plains, 
Where grandeur and beauty 

And fruitfulness reigns. 
We've traversed our country 

From the sea unto the sea, 
And with pride we sing its praises 

Wherever we may be. 

Chorus — Home, home, sweet, sweet home. 

With joy we shall remember. 

In days of new lang syne, 
The friends and dear companions 

Of the men of '49 ; 
The happiness and pleasures, 

As we have journeyed on ; 
The scenes and many treasures 
Of friendship we have won. 

Chorus — Home, home, etc. 

God bless each one that's with us. 

And make us friends for life ; 
And may the precious moments 

We've passed, come woe or strife. 
Bring cheer in all the future, 

Whatever may betide, 
And help us when at last we cross 

Great nature's dark Divide. 
Chorus — Home, home, etc. 

Then cheers were given for "all hands," and especially for Dr. V. L. Owen of Springfield, 
who had ministered gratuitously to any one indisposed during our entire trip. 

At II A. M., Saturday, May 17, our train entered the Fitchburg station in Boston. As we 
left the palatial cars that had been our homes for a month and a week, we thought of the kind 
Providence that had watched our roving feet, and brought us safely back — all but one. 
We remembered that, thanks to the assiduous care of Messrs. Raymond & Whitcomb, there 
had been no plans to make, no expenses to discuss ; but everything was arranged with intelli- 
gent forethought, and nothing was considered too good for their patrons. We were frequently- 
told by our conductors that, if we did not get the best of everything, we must let them know 
and the matter would receive immediate attention. Everything seemed to yield, if possible, — 
railroads, hotels, and carriages, — to the wants of one of their parties. President Thomes and 
Secretary W' hittemore were also tireless in making necessary arrangements for the thousand 



HOME AGAIK. 



263 



and one details of our various receptions. Indeed, after it was all over, as we looked back 
and saw what a magnificent excursion we had enjojed, and what an immense amount of work 
it had required to make it so successful, we felt that we returned not only with increased 
knowledge and a store of pleasant memories, but also with a burden of regret that we had not 
more fully appreciated on the way the kind forethought that had so constantly anticipated 
every reasonable wish. 

"Thus ended," wrote S. W. Foster of the Boston Journal, "the most memorable excursion 
ever made to the shores of the Pacific. Long live the 49ers, East and West !" 




SUTTER'S MILL. — See page 173. 



264 PIO^^EERS OF 'A9 



C HAPTER XXVIII 



THIRD ANNUAL MEETING AND BANQUET. 

And now my classmates ; ye remaining few that number not the half of those we knew, 

Ye, against whose familiar names not yet the fatal asterisk of death is set, 

Ye I salute ! The horologe of Time strikes the half-century with a solemn chime, 

And summons us together once again, the joy of meeting not unmixed with pain. 

Where are the others ? Voices from the deep caverns of darkness answer me : " They sleep ! "" 

I name no names; instinctively I feel each at some well-remembered grave will kneel, 

And from the inscription wipe the weeds and moss, for every heart best knoweth its own loss. 

I see their scattered gravestones gleaming white through the pale dusk of the impending night ; 

O'er all alike the impartial sunset throws its golden lilies mingled with the rose ; 

We give to each a tender thought, and pass out of the graveyards with their tangled grass. 

Unto these scenes frequented by our feet when we were young, and life was fresh and sweet. 

— Longfellow. 

AT one o'clock p. M. Tuesday, September 9, there assembled in Odd Fellows Hall, 
Boston, a company of 125 Pioneers with their wives and children. President W. H. 
Themes presided, and enforced order with a stout staff having a buckhorn handle. His coat 
front was ablaze with badges and medals received while the Boston Pioneers were on their 
recent visit to California. 

The death of George C. Clark of Salem was announced. By the roll of membership it is 
shown that there were also 12 other deaths during the year 1S89-90, the names and residences 
of the deceased being as follows : Daniel R. Arnold, Pawtucket, R. I.; William H. Benton, 
Woonsocket, R. I.; Samuel A. Chapin, Norton, Mass.; Richard Chenery, George A. Gushing, 
Weymouth; Olney Dodge, Plainfield, Conn.; Hosea B. Ellis, Ouincy; George Emerson, Dor- 
chester; Edwin Gage, Haverhill; Lewis C. Peck, Lewiston, Me. ; M. D. Spaulding, Boston; 
William Johnson Towne, Newtonville. 

Ex-Senator Conness of California, but now of Dorchester, offered the following resolution, 
which was unanimously agreed to: — 

Resolved^ That, in the retirement of our worthy and efficient President, Wm. H. Thomes, 
from his official connection with the Society of California Pioneers of New England, after 
three years of diligent and untiring service, the thanks of its members are gratefully rendered 
him for the effective work he has accomplished, the zeal he has shown in all that pertains to 
the reputation, growth, and prosperity of the society, as well as the able manner with which he 
has presided over its deliberations. 

Resolved^ That this resolution be entered upon the records of the society, and a copy of the 
same presented to comrade Wm. H. Thomes. 

Comrade Conness also offered the following resolution, which was unanimously adopted: — 

Resolved, That, the Board of Directors of the Society of California Pioneers of New Eng- 
land wish to testify, specially, their approval of our retiring Secretary, Hon. B. F. Whittemore,. 



ax:n'ual meetijYG axb bax(2Uet. 265 

who has, within the past two 3-ears, jDerformed his arduous duties in the most efficient and 
acceptable manner. 

Resolved^ That the thanks of the Board are hereby voted him, with the assurance that he 
will be remembered as one of the faithful builders and maintainers of our Society. 

The report of the Committee on Nominations was then received and adopted by acclama- 
tion, as follows : President, Frederick Pease, of East Boston; first Vice-president, William 
H. Thomes, of Boston; second Vice-president, Richard Harrington, of Salem; Secretary, E. 
D. Wadsworth, of Alilton ; Treasurer, Josiah Hay ward, of P.oston; Directors, Henry J. Wells, 
of Cambridge; Charles T. Stumcke, of Boston; Nicholas Ball, of Block Island, R. I.; C. H. 
Fifield, of Salem; John Conness, of Dorchester; Isaac S. Pear, of Cambridge; F. B. Mower, 
of Lynn; Elias J. Hale, Foxcroft, Me. ; Roscoe G. Smith, Cornish, Me. ; B. F. Whittemore, 
Montvale ; John C. Gleason, East Warren, Vt. ; S. W. P'oster. Boston; E. O. Carpenter, New 
York; Peter Peterson, South Boston. The meeting then adjourned to Sept. 9, 1891. 

On a plain, slender table, at one end of the convention hall, were two old-fashioned punch 
bow-Is. One was filled with a delicate pink-colored liquid, while the other contained amber- 
tinted decoction. The old Forty-niners found their way to these receptacles as if by instinct. 
In less than ten minutes the two little cakes of ice in each of the vessels were conspicuous by 
their loneliness. 

It was precisely two o'clock when Thomas' Orchestra, of Cambridge, struck up a lively 
march from behind a row of palms on the stage in the great dance hall of the building. This 
was the signal that the feast was in waiting. Line was formed, headed by President Thomes, 
upon whose arm leaned Governor Brackett. Six tables had been laid, five running the length 
of the hall, and one at right angles thereto. There were accommodations for 500, and not a 
seat was vacant. Behind the chairman's seat was the association's coat of arms, a golden 
circle surrounded by stars, and in the centre two clasped hands. Above was a glory of flags, 
while the national colors were gracefully festooned on either side. Divine blessing was 
invoked by Rev. Mr. Wheeler. 

At the head table were : President Thomes, His Excellency Governor Brackett, Hon. 
B. F. Whittemore and wife, Hon. John Conness and wife, Charles A. Dole and wife, of 
Somerville, Richard Harrington and wife, of Salem, Josiah Hayward and wife, Hon. Henry J. 
Wells and wife, of Cambridge, Captain E. D. Wadsworth and wife, of Milton, and Charles H. 
Fifield and wife, of Salem. 

Tiie president, in opening the literary exercises, said: "Comrades, I welcome you for the 
third time to the banquet board for the purpose of comparing notes of the present and looking 
back upon the past. For the last three meetings we have exchanged confidences, gazed into 
each other's faces, and renewed those bonds of friendship we all feel one for the other." The 
president was of opinion that the members each succeeding year gave evidences of growing 
younger, and that some of them looked even more youthful than they did forty years ago. 
He made a hasty retrospective survey of the principal events which have taken place since 
1849, and then alluded to the circumstances attending the admission of California into the 
sisterhood of States. The speaker continued by saying that those present helped to frame 
the constitution of the young State, and it was through their verdict that the evil of slavery 
was subdued. The attempt to make northern California a free State and the southern portion 
a slave State failed through the influence of those he was now addressing. The perils of the 
pioneers in their efforts to return home were then graphically described. " Peter the Hermit 
could not have found such recruits as you proved. With your Bibles in one hand, or in your 
knapsacks to have them handy in case of need, you endured the privations of camp life, and 



266 PIO.YEERS OF '49. 

laid the foundation of a great commonwealth." The speaker closed by referring to the 
marvellous growth of the State, both in wealth and education, and introducing Governor 
J. Q. A. Brackett. 

When the Governor arose the band struck up " Hail to the Chief," the audience rising and 
o-iving three cheers. The Governor said he wished he had been forewarned of the very elo- 
quent introduction of the presiding officer. It dealt so much in the past, however, that his 
memory was at fault in determining how much of it was history and how much romance. 
The Governor was present to pay the compliments of the State to those assembled. It was 
not his fortune to be a 49er, and even if he had faced the hardships of that eventful period, 
he had doubts of his fortitude in carrying him through. He referred to the letter of introduc- 
tion he had given the association to the Governor of California when it started on its pilgrim- 
age to that State April lo, 1890, saying: " It is not a usual thing for the Governor of the Com- 
monwealth to give a letter of this kind, but I knew this society would not do anything that 
would cast discredit upon Massachusetts. I can conceive of the great pleasure that that trip 
must have given all who made it, and the great changes which had taken place during the time 
intervening between their first visit and the last one. The part you took in laying the founda- 
tion of that great State has been made manifest to those who have come after you." The 
Governor did not believe that the sole purpose of the Pioneers was to get at the wealth that 
was buried in the State, as they were impressed with a higher motive than the possession of 
worldly goods. It is stated that the love of money is the root of all evil, and when it makes 
of a man a miser and sinks out of sight all his higher qualities, then our condemnation is put 
upon it. But much can be said in favor of money getting. It has been a great spur of effort 
in all conditions of life, and in all sections of the world. It has extended civilization; it has 
enlarged the domain of knowledge. The possession of wealth is not a motive to be dispar- 
aged, but when it is pursued with no thought of rendering an equivalent of some kind to 
humanity, it becomes an evil. Those present did not pursue it in that way. They were will- 
ing to endure all the hardships of pioneer life in the light of a duty, and now they were enjov- 
ing the rich fruitage of that early heroism and privation. At the conclusion of the Governor's 
remarks, the audience arose and sang " 1849-1890" to the tune of " Beulah Land," the band 
playing an accompaniment. 

Secretary Whittemore was the next speaker. He said there was no organization in the 
world that he felt more attached to than to the Society of Pioneers. He then referred at 
len<rth to the excursion to California, and the irresistible influence under which he found him- 
self, when confronted by the hospitality of their friends on the Pacific coast and their tempting 
wines. He partook of the latter, but not to such an extent that prevented him from coming 
home sober. He closed by reading a poem, which had been written for the occasion of their 
reception at Los Angeles, the concluding line running: — 

" O, olden days, O, golden days, come back to us again." 

Ex-Senator Conness gave a reading of a poem cut from the London Times during the heat 
of the California fever, in which the English author ridiculed the glowing stories, which were 
being circulated about the vast wealth said to be contained in that part of the new world. New 
England had her high qualities, which excited the admiration of the speaker, but, next to life 
here, California would be his first choice. To have lived there, to have grown up there, to 
have fought for her, can never be forgotten. He said the president should feel just a little 
humiliated, in that for three j-ears he has been so stupid as not to have provided for the wives 
and daughters of the members at the annual banquets. It has taken three years to discover 



POST-PRAJ^DIAZ EXERCISES. 267 

■what is best for these festivals. He said the mining of gold was a perfect poem, and, when 
engaged in taking out the virgin metal, it seemed as if he must awake, and find it all a dream. 
He related some of the privations of the pioneers, saying that old hard tack, which had been 
discarded by sailors, was sold at $1.50 a pound, and that each biscuit was bored through and 
through by bugs and worms, until it looked like perforated cardboard. With these and some 
very black molasses and rancid pork, the miners managed to keep alive. These ingredients 
were made into a dish known as lobscouse, and it was eaten with as much relish as the ban- 
quet they had just partaken of. 

The president then announced that the Sacramento society was making an effort to preserve 
the old Sutter fort at the mouth of the American River, and called upon those present to sub- 
scribe to the fund being raised for that purpose. A committee was appointed to take up a 
collection, and they succeeded in getting $^0. 

The secretary read a number of letters from those who were unable to attend the banquet, 
and also others from members of like organizations, all of which were freighted with good wishes 
for the Boston society and hopes for its future welfare. Comrade Wells, treasurer of tlie 
Republican State Committee, President-elect Pease, Comrade Walton of the Salem Register 
and Comrade Burdick of Providence made speeches replete with reminiscences of the days of 
the Pioneers. The proceedings were closed by the audience rising and singing to the tune of 
" Home, Sweet Home," the parting song by Mr. Whittemore and sung on our return. May 17. 

Two paragraphs from the secretary's record will appropriately close this chapter. 

" For the memories which will cluster around the days and the weeks of the pilgrimage of 
members of ' the Society of California Pioneers of New England ' to the places and the 
scenes of forty years ago, — for the associations formed with men, who, always remaining in 
California, stood ready to welcome their comrades back to the bounties of the State and her 
munificent hospitalities, — for the kindly words, the generous acts, the unstinted gifts, the 
xintiring and always gracious attention, the wealth of flowers and fruits, and vintage sweet, con- 
tinually bestowed, — for the acquaintance which the excursion of 'the New England Pioneers' 
lias secured, never to be forgotten, the thanks of all the participants are given, and only one 
regret can be expressed, that there were any of the members of the society who were so unfor- 
tunate as not to be among the recipients of so much royal favor, and hearty good will. 

"Our society now numbers in active and honorary membership nearly 400, which is an 
increase of almost 100 in the past year. Never since its formation has there been more 
interest manifested in its meetings or among its members, which argues well for the future. 
The ties that unite us seem stronger and more enduring, and the acquaintances made, the 
friendships formed, will cause the sunset of our lives to be more radiant and golden. Like the 
Grand Army, there can be no recruiting of the ranks of the Pioneers. As they fall out, one 
by one, wlien the roll is called, the answer only can be — 'Present and accounted for.' Let 
VIS, then, stand closer together, each feeling a touch of the other's condition, until we reach 
the golden shores of the looked-for ' Beyond.' 



268 PIONEERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

CELEBRATION OF ADMISSION DAY AT SAN FRANCISCO. 

So shall the northern Pioneer go joyful on his way, 

To wed Penobscot's waters to San Francisco's bay ; 

To make the rugged places smooth, and sow the vales with grain"; 

And bear, with Liberty and Law, the Bible in his train : 

The mighty West shall bless the East, and sea shall answer sea. 

And mountain unto mountain call, Praise God, for we are free! 



— Whittier. 



WHILE we were holding our third annual meeting at Boston, San Francisco was; 
closing a five days' celebration, with an enthusiasm worthy the metropolis of the 
Pacific. As the event celebrated was of so great importance to us in 1850, and we all would 
have liked to see the city decorated as never before, and alive with a procession heretofore 
unequaled, I will describe the closing holiday pageant, quoting two editorials and paragraphs 
from the news columns of the Chronicle. 

The editorial of September 9 was as follows: — 

" On the 9th of September, 1850, Millard Fillmore, the then President of the United States, 
appended his signature to the bill which had passed Congress two days before, admitting 
California as a State of the American Union. We of the present day, who get our news from 
Washington in the twinkling of an eye, find it difticult to realize that the news of the admis- 
sion of California was not known in this city until the i8th of October, when, by the arrival of 
the steamer Oregon, the glad tidings were first known. 

" But there is little difficulty in reconstructing the picture of the mental attitude of the people 
of San Francisco as it was forty years ago to-day. We know by the testimony of witnesses 
still living that the people of this city were a unit on the question of admission, and we know, 
too, that an overwhelming majority was unalterably opposed to any compromise with the pro- 
slavery element which would have liked to call the roll of its slaves upon the soil of California. 
Our people knew the contest that was being waged in Congress, and we can readily believe 
that the news brought by the Oregon was a great relief to those who had hoped for the admis- 
sion of California as a free State, and yet who dreaded the influence of the Southern oligarchy 
in Congress. 

" Forty years ago to-day the citizens of San Francisco did not foresee the events of i86r, 
when impious hands were raised against the temple of liberty and human freedom erected by 
the fathers of the republic, but when the stress came California showed by every means in her 
power that the same spirit which moved for her admission into the Union, burned as brightly 
for the preservation of the integrity of that Union, and that the sentiment of secession had 
found no lodgment in loyal California. 

" Should occasion arrive, the young men of to-day would show that they are worthy sons of 
noble sires, that the first forty years of the State's existence have only cemented more firmly 



THE ARCH OF WELCOME. 



269 



the bonds which were sealed on the 9th day of September, 1850, and tliat the young men of 
California know no North, no South, but only one common country, united and indivisible." 




THE WELCOME ARCH, SEPTEMBER 9, 189O. 

■^'The 9th of September has come and gone, and last night San Francisco slept in the proud 



270 piojYEEes of '49. 

consciousness of having passed through the greatest celebration ever held on the Pacific 
coast. 

" If a procession, the largest ever seen in this city — over five miles in length and numbering- 
16,000 individual participants, witnessed by nine-tenths or more of the 300.000 inhabitants of 
the city and by tens of thousands of visitors, welcomed with a continual round of cheers from 
one end of the route to the other — be sufficient to base the assertion upon, then yesterday's 
celebration was certainly the grandest and most successful ever seen in this city. There have 
been several occasions upon which San Francisco has endeavored to do her best in honoring- 
noted guests or in commemorating important events. Among these may be mentioned the 
Grant celebration of ten years ago, the Knights Templars Conclave and the Grand Army En- 
campment. Up to yesterday the procession on the occasion of the reception of General Grant 
has been accorded the palm as the largest ever seen in this city, 10,000 persons having taken 
part in it. 

" There had been some apprehension lest the five days set apart for the celebration of the 
fortieth anniversary of the admission of the State might be marred by unseasonable rains. 
But that apprehension proved ill-founded. As usual at this season, during the morning the 
sky was slightly overcast, but the sun came out early, the last vestige of fog was dissipated, 
and from 9 o'clock until sunset a fairer day was never seen in this or any other city. 

" Before 8 o'clock people began picking out choice spots from which to view the procession, 
and very quickly these were taken possession of, and the lucky pre-emptors sat down to wait 
the lapse of the three or four hours that must pass before the column could possibly reach 
their locality. Wagon-loads of visitors from across the bay and from the towns on the San 
Mateo peninsula arrived in numbers, and sought stations from which the line of march could 
be commanded, while every express wagon, carriage and other vehicle in the city seemed ta 
have been called into service. 

" The Chinese seemed to take as much interest in the affair as any one else. They flocked in 
thousands to watch the procession. A prominent corner on Market street was fitted up for 
the sole accommodation of a party of shiny-haired Mongolian matrons and children, while that 
portion of the line of march that lay near Chinatown was packed with Mongolians. Squads 
of Chinese were in the crowds in all parts of the city, and they might have been seen here 
and there studying the decorations and gravely discussing the merits of each among them- 
selves. 

"From the time the head of the procession passed until the last vehicle made its appearance, 
fully three hours elapsed. Making due allowance for stoppages, fully two hours and forty 
minutes were actually consumed in marching, and, as quick time was kept, this will serve to 
give a fair idea of the immense size of the procession. 

" First came the regulars of the First Infantry, marching with admirably even step, their 
bayonets glistening in the bright sunshine. Behind the bronzed soldiers of the line came a 
battery of artillery, their heavy gun carriages lumbering over the pavements and the rattle of 
their accoutrements and the glitter of their polished guns adding to the martial character of 
the head of the pageant. A troop of United States cavalry next swept into view, their 
chargers stepping with the regularity of trained soldiers and keeping an unbroken front that 
won the plaudits of the thousands of spectators. 

'•The Second Brigade of the National Guard followed the regular troops and suffered nothing- 
by comparison with their soldierly-looking predecessors. This completed the peculiarly 
military division of the splendid pageant, and the picturesque presentation of the remarkable 
history of California began. There were floats with tableaux illustrating the historic scenes of 



THE PEOCESSIOJ^. 271 

the early days of California, when the ox team was the most luxurious mode of transportation 
between the cities of the Atlantic coast and the gold fields of the new El Dorado. Miners'' 
prospecting trains, thoroughly realistic, and emigrant outfits of the days of '49, with travel- 
stained and grim-looking Pioneers in command, moved along in the strangely diversified 
procession. 

" There was no flagging of interestfor the spectators, for each part of a division was a fasci- 
nating chapter of the excitements of a decade of California life condensed into as many min- 
utes. After the spectacular illustration of the earliest phases of Pioneer life came the living 
representatives of a later epoch in the history of the nation, the Veterans of the Mexican war,. 
and the grizzled Pioneers who have survived the labors of the establishment of a great State and 
founded a society known throughout the civilized world. The California Pioneers and the 
Territorial Pioneers rode past in carriages preceding the Exempt and Veteran Firemen, who' 
drew along the machines that in the bygone days had been such an important factor in the 
politics and the architectural development of San Francisco. 

" If the artistic tableaux were suggestive of the rapidly changing phases of life in California,, 
the contrast of the veterans whose brows were seamed with the toil and cares of half a century, 
and their locks whitened with the snows of added years, was even more impressive. The past 
and present could not have been thrown together in a more conspicuous manner. Behind the 
aged firemen, whose stout hearts have outlasted the energy of their once powerful frames, 
came a detachment of the firemen that now guard the interests of the city. The well-appointed 
conveyance of the fire patrol, with its staff of young fellows full of life and ambition, and the 
modern chemical engine and water tower, drawn by magnificent horses, were strange contrasts 
to the old-fashioned and now useless appliances of the veterans, who walked slowly and some- 
what painfully over the rough pavements. 

"The ever-changing order of life could not have had a more forcible illustration, and, when the 
young life of the Golden State began to march past in the next division, and streamed by for 
hours, full of life, of hope, and all the enthusiasm of early manhood, there was no mistaking the 
fact that the pageant was one of the most significant demonstrations that ever passed through 
the streets of San Francisco. It was, in a manner, the farewell appearance of old favorites 
that have trod the boards of public life for a quarter of a century, and the introduction to the 
stage of new actors in the eventful history of the Golden State." 

Twenty-one divisions were in line, the first composed of the officials of the State, the 
county, and the city, and consuls from leading foreign powers, escorted by United States 
troops and California militia. Every division was well worthy of a detailed description, did 
space permit; a part of the second was so suggestive of our experiences that I give it. 

"Driven by John Knight, a member of Colonel Stevenson's first California regiment, came a 
unique and significant float representative of an Indian camp as it was when the first Pioneers 
broke the peace of Northern California. With twelve Russian river Indians, seven men, three 
women and two children arrayed in their curious and fantastic garb of skins, ornamented with 
beads and strangely carved jewels, and with head-dress and band of feathers, the living picture 
was one natural and true. In the background stood the miniature wigwam constructed of 
odds and ends of patched cloth wrapped on three large branches, at whose top were the horns 
of a deer, The primitive but deadly bow and arrows rested in the hands of each painted and 
copper-colored savage. 

" Next came two horn-hooked oxen dragging a carreta, the primitive traveling carriage, made 
entirely of wood, axles of tree trunks, stem a heavy branch, the large wicker basket of tree 
branches. It was used half a century ago by Mexican travelers. The driver was George 



272 



PIOA'EEBS OF '49. 



Hedges, and the family of Pedro Ordega stood in the carriage. Behind this curious vehicle 
rumbled Jim Bridges' emigrant train of three teams from Old Missoury. in charge of Captain 
H. A. Dana, in gray slouch hat, blue woolen shirt, trousers and top boots. Great lumbering 
■wagons they were, with huge coverings patched and mended, with all the detailed equipment 
for the dreary journey, the tar bucket, the extra bow, hatchets and axes, shovels and battered 
utensils, and a hide taken from a buck killed just as they crossed the California line. 

" Behind were the laden mules of the miners' prospecting pack train, loaded down with bacon, 
flour, hard tack, refreshment in bottles, and ore taken at some point on the route. With the 
party were the armed scouts guiding the destiny of the little band. 

"Chips, the pioneer express messenger of 184S, gray-bearded, smiling, coatless, and with the 
old blue jean shirt he wore in "50, followed, mounted on his long-eared animal, which bore the 
mail bags. On the route he distributed souvenir papers, containing an interesting comparison 
drawn from the celebrations of 1S50. and of yesterday. 




FLOAT OF CALIFORNIA PARLOR NO. I. 

"Next in order was a float representing the next stage in Californian history — the miners 
at work. In a rocky pass, w'ith pick and spade, they delved for the precious ore. The miners 
at home in camp, seven bearded, red-shirted, hardy men. and the watchful scout, next found 
presentation. Resting in the shade of their roughly constructed log cabin, smoking as they 
watched the cooking food, and lounging on tree stumps here and there, the scene after the 
day's work was significant and attractive. With Old Bach, Captain Adams, and the original 
Calaveras county miner, with his kit, closed the descriptive scenes of the early days in this 
division. 

"At the van of the Veterans of the Mexican war, who, numbering forty-six, rode next in 
fifteen carriages, under command of Marshal W. G. Lee, was the carriage containing the 
President, Colonel Andrews, and ex-President, Captain Knipe, Judge W. L. Burnett, W. L. 
Duncan, and United States Marshal Hopkins. At their side, the carriages forming a double 
rank, rode Colonel J. D. Stevenson's command of California volunteers. 

" In over a hundred carriages, double-ranked and bearing the rich banners, ensigns and 
emblems of the order, came the Society of California Pioneers, Alexander Montgomery, presi- 



THE PROCESSIO.Y. 273 

dent. They were a band of splendid looking men, and all along ike route cheer after cheer 
signaled their approach. Following them, in some instances riding parallel, was the Society 
of Territorial Pioneers, and visiting Pioneers from Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Joaquin valley, 
San Jose, Sacramento, and other interior towns and localities. From the San Joaquin forty- 
two responded and paraded in gayly decorated busses, the first bearing a rich satin banner. 
From San Mateo came thirty-two, under Marshal George W. Fox. 

" Dr. J. L. Cogswell, of the Pioneers, carried the 'liberty bell.' 

"After the Pioneers came 'Old Tuolumne,' Captain Alonzo Colby, a wagon representing 
Pioneer pocket mining in California, with the rocker and crude implements of the time. With 
him was another emigrant wagon and attendant scouts. 

"Preceded by the Fifth Infantry Band marched the Junior Pioneers under Marshal Dixie 
W. Thompson. They were also a party of men who excited admiration and applause along 
the march. 

" Succeeding the Junior Pioneers came a float of horticulture, one of the most magnificent 
of the individual displays. 

" Led by Special Aid Joseph Figel, and escorted by the members of the Harmonie Fran- 
^aise Band, followed the Exempt Fire Company, under command of President H. D. Hudson. 
Ninety-four men, in their characteristic uniform of brown long coat and trousers, bright red 
shirt, white ties, and large black fire hats, constituted the central division, which drew the 
little fire engine, manufactured in New York in 1820, and brought to California in 1849. 
Charles Plum and John L. Derry were at the tongue. Next came the magnificent engine 
Exempt, upon which were seated in a chair of state Miss Annie Barrow, and others. Miss 
Daisy Cresson, the pride of the old firemen, was also there. 

"Two divisions had passed, when suddenly Governor Waterman, surrounded by his staff, 
■was seen fighting his Avay through the vehicles and people crowding the sand lots. It took 
over half an hour for the governor of the State to drive a distance that ordinarily would have 
been covered in half a minute, and fully another quarter of an hour was consumed in reaching 
the stand after the carriages had arrived at a point opposite the stand across the sand lots. 

" The Governor's appearance on the stand was a signal for cheers from the crowd, and the 
societies at the moment passing in the procession. 

" A few minutes later. Mayor Pond fought his way to the stand, and was received by the 
multitude with cheers. From i until 2 o'clock the governor and the mayor remained on the 
stand, nearly every organization stopping a second to cheer and salute them. At two o'clock 
the end of the procession seemed as far away as ever, and, as both Governor Waterman and 
Mayor Pond were down on the programme of the literary exercises for speeches, they left the 
governor's staff to do the reviewing, and repaired to the Grand Opera House." 

At two o'clock the doors were thrown open, and, owing to precautions in distributing tick- 
ets, the house was comfortably filled, without inconvenience or crush of humanity. After a 
festival overture by Noah Brandt's augmented orchestra, all arose and repeated the Lord's 
prayer. Rev. Charles L. Miel, of St. Peter's Episcopal church, then besought God's blessing 
upon State and Nation. Grand Marshal Charles L. Tilden introduced William H. Miller, 
president of the day, and grand president of the N. S. G. W., who said : — 

^'■Friends, Calif ornians, all : Our city to-day is crowded with men and women eager to 
see California's Pioneers and their sons and daughters combinedly celebrate the fortieth anni- 
versary of our State's admission into the American Union. And from every eminence the 
auspicious bunting utters its voice in eloquent unison with the general scene, and all citizens 
have caught the inspiration of the hour and are here to honor the cause we espouse, for it is a 



274 piojYeebs of '49. 

just cause, a noble cause, a love for our State and native land. Yet, my friends, vast as is our 
number here to-day, immense as is the array, v/ith all its gorgeousness, commanding as is the 
o-litter and splendor of the spectacle, and beautiful as is the moral which underlies the scene, 
it but faintly displays the magnitude of the offering which our united homage this day offers 
to the loving God for having given to us this glorious California, this land of the Golden 
West. 

" We to-day show our reverence for daring and dauntless Pioneers who left their homes where 
they were born, bade adieu to the hills and dales through which they roamed in childhood's 
happy hours, and casting a last long look at the quiet churchyard, where perhaps father and 
mother, or sister and brother, were quietly sleeping, they set their faces toward the West. 
Though their eyes were dim with tears, their hearts beat high with fond hopes of prosperity to 
come ; braving all hardship, fearing no danger, and laboring with courage that knew no falter- 
ing; believing what is said by Robert Burns : — 

'To catch Dame Fortune's golden smile, 

Assiduous wait upon her ; 
And gather gear by every wile 

That's justified by honor — 
Not for to hide it in a hedge, 

Not for a train attendant. 
But for tiie glorious privilege 

Of being independent.' 

"And every man who sought this western land desired to be independent; and though they 
left happy homes and all that man holds dear on earth, they received no welcome ujaon these 
shores ; yet with manly vigor they began their labors, hoping, trusting and believing that in the 
El Dorado they would be able to accumulate a large amount of gold, and that it would com- 
pensate them for the lack of welcoming friends and for the toil and suffering which they were 
forced to undergo ; for they believed that this gold — which was the idol that animated their 
flagging energies, enticed them by day and haunted them by night — was the wherewithal to 
return and receive a royal welcome from the loved ones who were watching and waiting their 
happy return. Some achieved their ambition and returned to their homes; but others, after 
years of trial and privation, and passing through suffering and distress, had their hopes of 
home cast down, their ambitions unfulfilled; the grim reaper claimed them for his own, and in 
the language of the old song, — 

' The angels did stand 
On the snow-white strand 

And sing their welcome home.' 

"Others are still with us, represented here to-day by the Society of California Pioneers, their 
president, Alexander -Montgomery, sitting beside the grand officers of the Native Sons and 
Daughters, and with these Pioneers we to-day work hand in hand for this glorious celebration. 
They are proud of their adopted State, and they say to us, their sons, be proud of your State, 
it deserves your love ; let your loyalty to it be a part of your religion ; regard the title of 
American citizen as a title of nobility, and bear it proudly as did the lords of the earth long 
ago bear their title of Roman citizen as their right to command the respect and homage of 
mankind. 

"Keep high your standard of personal honor; do your duty always, wherever and whatever it 
be, and leave the rest to the guidance of that supreme and sovereign will whose mandates the 



ADDEESS OF WILLIAM H. MILLER. 275 

richest and poorest, the highest and lowest of all the children of men are bound with equal 
resignation to obey. 

" And to keep alive their love for these Pioneers, and show their loyalty to this State and 
the American Union, the young men of California have formed the Society of the N. S. G. W., 
to perpetuate in the minds of all native Californians a profound veneration for the men and 
memories of the days of '49, and to unite them in one harmonious body throughout the State 
bv the ties of a friendship mutually beneficial to all, and unalloyed by bitterness of religious 
or political differences, to rejoice with one another in prosperity, and to extend the 'Good 
Samaritan ' hand in adversity, and, by the aid of a divine Providence, everything of a religious 
or political nature, and all class distinction shall ever be left without our door, and our hall 
shall be as sacred to us as is the temple of worship to the faithful in the far East, and all 
Native Sons shall ever leave all things political outside the threshold, as do the worshippers 
cast aside their sandals upon the threshold of their religious home. 

'• Our loyalty is founded upon the sentiment expressed by Daniel Webster in his speech upon 
the admission of California into the Union, saying : ' Mr. President, I wish to speak, not as a 
Massachusetts man, not as a Northern man, but as an American.' And we to-day, celebrating 
as Californians, are Americans, and revere the name of Washington as the father of our coun- 
try, and to-day above us are the Stars and Stripes, the proud emblem of the free. 

"We have a Memorial day for the heroes who died for our Union, and 'tis just, 'tis fitting 
that those heroes who gave up life upon the field of battle should be revered, and their graves 
annually decked with the fairest flowers of the country which they died to save from disruption. 
So is it also just and fitting that those heroic Pioneers, who settled and laid the foundation of 
this Golden State, should, for this bravery and generosity, have their names enshrined in the 
hearts of all true Californians, and, as a living, beautiful, and useful monument to the Pioneers, 
the order of Native Sons will stand forever. Monuments of stone will crumble and fall, and 
be lost to memory, but the brave and noble deeds and heroic sacrifices of the grand California 
Pioneers have become graven in all patriotic hearts with reproductive power, transmitting an 
impression to posterity. And to the Native Sons, who live after us, their memories will be 
dear as our great State goes on to prosperity, and, though amid pleasant scenes and thrilling 
memories, they look in vain for the Pioneers who are represented here to-day, they will remem- 
ber their brave deeds ; and, with feelings of brotherly love and patriotic pride, all Native Sons 
will work shoulder to shoulder under the principles of friendship, loyalty, and charity for our 
order as a fraternity, our country as a Union, and our State north to south as one California." 

Mayor E. B. Pond was warmly greeted, and spoke briefly as follows : 

" Sires and sons, honored Pioneers and Native Sons, founders and builders of our great 
Cointnowdjealth : I greet and welcome you in the name of the people of San Francisco. You 
have seen them to-day on your line of march crowding the thoroughfares and swarming upon 
the housetops, all eager to do honor to you and welcome you. They speak with no uncertain 
voice, for their hearts are in the greeting and they are proud of you. 

They are mindful, too, of the day you celebrate — the birthday of our State, when she 
entered (the peer of the oldest and greatest) in full fellowship into the grandest confederacy 
the world ever saw. Not a loose confederacy held together by slender ties, but now, thank 
God, a compact nation, welded by the heat of conflict into one homogeneous and loving 
brotherhood. 

Sons, remember what you are to-day our Pioneers were forty years ago — young, full of 
spirit and of adventure. The flower of the youth of every State, they dared the dangers of 
the stormy cape and of the desert plains, beset with lurking foes. An army of hardy and 



276 



PIOJ^EEBS OF '49. 



valiant spirits, with scarce a gray beard among them, they came to carve out homes from the 
wilderness and to form a State. As the children of Israel in all their wanderings bore with 
them the sacred Ark of the Covenant, so did these Pioneers bring with them their inheritance 
of freedom, of order, of justice and of faith, the timbers of a State already fashioned and ready 
to be set up into an American commonwealth. 'They builded better than they knew,' for 
many live to see their State the admiration and the envy of the world, and sons ready to take 
their places worthy of their gallant sires. 

" In truth, my friends, we of California have much to be proud of — our territory, our domin- 
ion, our genial climate, our varied scenery, our great resources, our splendid products ; but of 
all our products, the choicest, and that of which we have most reason to boast to-day, is our 
Native Sons and our Native Daughters." 




FLOAT OF RINCON PARLOR, NO. 72. 

Governor R. W. Waterman read his response from manuscript as follows: — 
'■'■ Mr. President, Fellow-Citizens: Forty years ago to-day the population of the United 
States numbered 23,000,000 souls ; that of California could almost be counted on the fingers 
— 92,000. To-day the nation stands before the world panoplied in the strength which the 
loyal hearts of 65,000,000 of people give her; and California, then an infant, is to-day a giant 
in her strength, in her prosperity, progress and future hopes. I rejoice that I have been per- 
mitted to live to witness the grand and imposing sight that has been presented on this occa- 
sion, sufficient to inspire the enthusiasm and commendation of the most indifferent. Well 
indeed have you done your part, worthy of yourself, and worthy of the great State of which 
you are native sons. This is a proud day for the country, and a still prouder one for Califor- 
nia; and I hope the day is not far distant when in every State in our glorious country, 
impelled by your example, a banner will be unfurled, upon which shall be inscribed the words, 
"Native Sons." 

It was one of the pleasantest privileges of my administration that fell to my lot to sign the 
bill making the 9th of September (Admission Day) a legal holiday. No man takes a deeper or 
more abiding interest in the young men of our State than myself, and my name being asso- 
ciated in that act with your association confers an imperishable honor upon me, which I 
thoroughly ajjpreciate, and I am most grateful to you for all the marked courtesy you have 



ADDRESS OF PIOJfEER HIGHTOJ^. 277 

extended ^o me, and the opportunity offered thus to express my admiration for your associa- 
tion. Again I thank you for your courtesy." 

Pioneer Highton, in behalf of the State society, spoke eloquently, saying, among other things: — 

"We are carried back to the trials and privations of the 33,000 Pioneers who, forty-one 
years ago, streamed through the defiles of the Sierras and over the table-lands of New Mexico, 
and of the 38,000 who broke their way through the billows. We see reproduced the stirring 
incidents of that early period and the linked events which have brought us to the proportions 
and to the conspicuousness to which we have now attained. The long procession which has 
moved through our thoroughfares was in itself an epitome of the past, a representation of the 
present, a prediction of the future. 

" I must not fall into lengthy eulogy, but I must not omit to notice the melancholy truth that 
the original Pioneers are swiftly vanishing from the earth. Of the overlooked and unrecorded 
dead I cannot speak. On the mortuary record of the societ}^ however, there are already 7,332 
names. Of the original Pioneers known to the society but 1,313 remain. They will be 
perpetuated directly through their descendants, of whom 362 are now upon their roll, while 
hundreds more are or hereafter will be found among the Native Sons of the Golden West. 
Still within another generation, at the furthest, the original Pioneers will be extinct. Those 
yet left, with few exceptions, possess greater vitality, energy, and capacity for endurance and 
for labor than many thousands of younger men. They were among the strongest representa- 
tives of the strongest race ; they were inured to hardship, and forced to moderation in their 
youth ; they acquired and have retained the faculty of work, and, taken as a whole, they are 
among the best living specimens of men from the meridian of life to old age. 

" I am earnestly convinced that California is to become the most densely populated State in 
the Union. With her internal resources she can support at least 20,000,000 of men and 
women. With competing systems of railroads, with ship canals across the Isthmus of 
Nicaragua and the Isthmus of Darien, and with ocean cables beneath the Pacific, she would 
occupy the most central position in the northern hemisphere toward Central and South 
America, toward Asia, toward Polynesia, toward Australasia, and perhaps even, for com- 
mercial purposes, toward Europe. The character of her productions will render her an 
enormous exporter; for she produces what the world rec|uires, and her resources are scarcely 
opened, and are practically inexhaustible. 

" San Francisco, virtually the geographical cefttre of the Union, occupies nearly as command- 
ing a place in the world of traffic and consumption, and, however lightly the prediction may be 
regarded, she is destined to become a centre of commerce and of exchange. All we lack 
to-day is competition from without and cosmopolitanism within. 

" And now, Pioneers, my last words must be addressed to you. This celebration, in its 
striking local features, is distinctive, and it has harmoniously united the organizations of 
which you are so justly proud and the Native Sons of the (jolden West. It is also broadly 
American in its character and it includes all our citizens, while it commands general sympathy 
and respect, not only throughout the Union but wherever the controlling ideas of modern 
civilization prevail. To you, however, it has a peculiar significance, which we should recog. 
nize as we part. It brings home to you personal recollections. It revives your treasured 
memories. It reanimates your hopes and your aspirations. It vindicates the principle of 
association. 

"When the last Pioneer falleth, may he clasp the hand of a Native Son and transmit to him, 
unimpaired and in sacred trust, the fraternal inheritance which, for us, will then have ceased 
to exist upon the earth." 



278 PIO.YEERS OF '49. 

From the finished address of Mrs. C. S. Baker, in behalf of the N. D. G. W., I quote: 

" To you, oh, Pioneers, whose silvery locks are dearer to us than all the silver of the rugged 
Nevadas — to you, oh, Pioneers, 1 bring the veneration of our young minds, that in the pages 
of history have followed your heroic footsteps to these golden shores. To you, patriots and 
sires, I bring the filial love and duty of our young hearts, the romance and realism of our 
ripening minds, and the respect and veneration of our mature years — you, toiling behind your 
patient oxen through the heavy sands of the great desert, hewing your way through the mys- 
terious forests of the mountains, forsaking the lullabys of those dearer cradles in tlie East to 
rock the muddy cradles in the cold waters of the Sierras, flinging broadcast the first grains of 
wheat on the barren plains — doing all things without love and rest and home — you, by those 
heroisms, won for us our nativity, that we might in these valleys of exceeding great beauty 
twine the flowers of woman's duty around our homes of peace and prosperity. 

" Have the daughters of the West hearts of tenderness, have they burning words of love, 
have they offerings of gratitude, let them lay these offerings of appreciation at the feet of 
them who walk the steep path of life's decline, and whose faces are furrowed with the great 
thoujrhts and great works of the Western Pioneer. Elevate the Pioneer with woman's devo- 
tion, provide for him with woman's care, and bestow upon him all that is due him before the 
aureole of fame is hung over his silent grave. Is Fremont dead ? He who gave to us the 
vast domain from the Rocky mountains to the Pacific, and saved California from the grasp of 
England. He who found the paths through the wild and unknown mountains that the argo- 
nauts might follow them to find the golden fleece and fling its glittering promises over the 
amazed toilers of the East. 

"Who is that fair and gallant figure dashing his way through the hostile councils of the 
stern and vengeful red men, brushing aside all obstacles, pushing into the dangerous defiles of 
the great unknown and only reining in the famous steed Proveau, to climb on, footsore and 
dauntless, to clasp with bleeding hands the jagged ice on the highest peak of the Rockies? 
Through the clear skies of the summer I see that undaunted spirit now animating the heart 
of the West from the rolling Oregon to the sun-dyed Arizona, leading us on to great achieve- 
ments, pointing the way where steam shall place its iron foot and inspiring the hand that shall 
bid the mountain torrent roll down its living waters to the broad and fertile desert. The 
Native Sons will follow his spirited command till California amasses labor unto labor, achieve- 
ment unto achievement, till she enrolls her name first, and richest, and greatest, among the 
bright sisters of tlie republic. Go reach the bay and wreath the laurels high, true daughters 
of the West, those brave old Pioneers shall never die. 

"The Native Daughters of the West are asked to contribute some offering to the birthday 
festivities of the Golden State. Not with arms of steel, and warlike tread, and crash of mar- 
tial music; not as the lawgivers and defenders of our State, do we come to the natal feast, but 
with gentler hands, whose weakness is their strength; with feet that never beat to the sound- 
ing drums of glory, with eyes that weep, with hearts that fear, we lay our offering on tlie altar 
cf our native land. But not with any feelings of unworthiness are we represented before you 
to-day. Fearing hearts pray most, silent footsteps are most faithful, and gentle hands wait 
upon the destinies of our country with some of the most practical services of our social and 
national statehood. 

" Our lamentations of sorrow are loudest to-day over the destruction of our wonderful Sequoia 
groves. We want them saved from the spoilers' axe, and set aside, a crown of wonder to our 
State forever. We are pleading for all our forests, and for all the streams that take their 
sources under their heavy and protecting branches. 



JDDRESS OF MBS. C. S. BAKER. 279 

" California has not yet numbered her own resources, and her gardens yet unplanted will 
make her famous in the markets of the Old World. See how the blessed olive lifts up its 
fair head among our verdant hills ! It is the venerable bequest of ancient and forgotten 
nations, and is our new heritage of long life and imperishable riches. Our cereal harvests 
from Shasta to Tulare murmur in the yellow fields of our pride and strength ; our miners 
telling over their old fame and story thrill with living hope. Our fruits lift up their brimming 
cornucopias to all the East, and the genius of the world comes here to inspire her art and 
song and literature. There is no hope or promise that California does not claim, and her 
sons, and daughters' honest hands are ready to follow her commands and enrich her, with all 
that industry and invention can supply. California is the queen bride of the Pacific; and the 
proud ocean, worshiping at her feet, begs her to bestow upon his world-bound navies the gold 
of Tarshish, the cedars of Lebanon, and the corn and wine and oil of the promised land. Her 
crown is the emerald band of her evergreen forests set on high with the diamond of the 
eternal snows; her breast is hung with necklaces of gold and clasps of silver; her wide 
flowing skirts are fringed with rivers that will equal the splendor of old Nile ; her hands are 
full of benefactions, and in all her smiling face there is no frown of discontent or sorrow. 
Roll on, great murmuring ocean, in the rapture of thy love ! Tell her beauties to the lonely 
isles, and sing her praises to the mighty winds that will bear back to us all the gifts of thy 
devotion. Wherever thy loving waves play upon the sunlit beaches, where thy cool zephyrs 
clasp the stately redwoods, wherever thy balmy sigh is felt, the sons and daughters of thy 
beloved will meet to sound her matchless charms, to call her the mother of the brave and 
beautiful, and to name her the fairest among ten thousand, the one altogether lovely.'' 

James I. Boland, grand orator of the Native Sons, delivered an elaborate and forcible 
address which I quote verbatim, as it is the best presentation of the subject I have ever 
seen : — 

'■'• Ladies and getttleme7i : Forty years ago California was wedded with our great republic. 
She was wrested from the arms of her Spanish kindred and united with the American Union. 
The alliance has proved to be a most happy one. It has blessed California and the republic 
alike. Ever since she has been elevated to the proud position which she now occupies she 
has contributed with a lavish hand from her vast treasures for the advancement of the nation, 
and for the preservation of its honor and its integrity. Before the eyes of any European ever 
beheld her, romance had clothed her in a mantle of gold and crowned her with jewels. 

"A short time after Cortez landed in Mexico, he heard a strange story of an Amazonian isle 
not far distant which was rich in gold and precious stones. No story could be told about the 
wonderful country of Asia, which was supposed to be close at hand, which was too extrava- 
gant for belief. From the earliest times the most exaggerated reports had existed in refer- 
ence to its wealth, the grandeur of its courts and the extent of its kingdoms. Although Cortez 
may not have believed this story in all its minutest details, still it can hardly be doubted that 
it produced a deep impression upon his mind. Strange as it may appear, it was such idle fan- 
cies as these that led him on, and finally resulted in the discovery and exploration of California. 
While the search for the mythical Straits of Anian was a matter of considerable importance, 
still Cortez was undoubtedly impelled by the vain hope of finding great treasures and winning 
magnificent kingdoms. Although he did not return laden with spoils or behold the vast 
empires which his fancy had painted, yet the intrinsic wealth and resources of California more 
than equalled all that his vivid imagination ever conceived. Notwithstanding the fact that the 
Spaniards and their immediate successors failed to discover the great wealth or to appreciate 
the vast resources that were latent in its climate, its waters, its hills, and its vallevs, still its 



280 PIOJS'EERS OF '49. 

treasures were but awaiting the magical touch of the finger of enterprise to expose them to 
view. 

" The American Pioneer had no sooner put his foot upon the soil than he recognized its vast 
capabilities, and had scarceh' acquired its possession before he had built it up into the proud 
commonwealth of the Golden State. 

"According to an old romance ot chivalry there was an island "on the right hand of the 
Indies, very near to the terrestrial paradise," which was called California. It was filled with 
gold and precious stones, and was peopled with amazons, who were ruled by a young, brave, 
and beautiful queen. During her reign an attack was made upon the city of Constantinople, 
which was then in the possession of the Christians, and she allied herself with the infidel 
powers in making the assault. All the princes of chivalry rallied to the support of the city, 
and finally the besiegers were repulsed, and the Queen of California was taken prisoner. She 
fell in love with one of the princes, and subsequently became his wife, and thereafter she 
was one of the staunchest supporters of the Christian cause. This was one of the popular 
romances, over the pages of which Balboa, Pizarro, Cortez, and other Spanish officers were 
wont to while away the weary hours of their camp life. This romantic fiction, together with 
the story of the Amazonian isle, which was related to Cortez in Mexico, to which the former 
probably gave rise, and the belief that the country was an island not far distant from the 
Indies, undoubtedly suggested the name of California. 

"The first mention of the name of California occurs in Preciado's diary of the voyage of 
Ulloa, when it was first discovered that it was a peninsula. The colony planted by Cortez was 
a failure, and it is not improbable that the name was applied ironically by some of the dis- 
gusted colonists on their return. The name thus applied to the peninsula, or supposed island, 
was subsequently used to designate the country extending indefinitely northward. After the 
failure of a number of expeditions the Spanish government acknowledged its utter inability to 
settle California. At last it had recourse to the spiritual power of the Jesuit missionaries, and 
where the sword had been vanquished, the cross was triumphant. It is not unlikely that if the 
soldiers of the cross had not raised once more the standard, which had been lowered by the 
Spanish crown, California would have fallen a prey to some other European power, and might 
never have become one of the States of this glorious Union. A few years afterward, when the 
Jesuit missionaries were succeeded by the Franciscans, they had converted the entire people 
of the peninsula, and established missions from Cape San Lucas to the Colorado. 

" Over two centuries had passed since Cabrillo, the Spanish explorer, had entered the waters 
of Upper California, never before disturbed save by the Indian canoe. Since the voyage of 
Viscaino, made sixty years afterward, no ship had entered the northern waters from the south, 
and the Spaniards had done nothing toward founding a settlement on the coast. The existence 
and location of the ports of San Diego, Monterey and the old port of San Francisco under 
Point Reyes, and the general trend of the coast, had been known to them for many 
years. 

" Suddenly the fear of foreign encroachments caused a partial awakening from this apathy, 
and the Government at once determined to occupy Upper California. The accomplishment 
of this resolution was intrusted to Franciscan missionaries, who displayed the same untiring 
zeal and exhibited the same spirit of self-denial that had been shown by the Jesuit mission- 
aries in Lower California. The leader of the Franciscans was Father Junipero Serra. The 
results accomplished by this missionary priest for the Indians of California have placed him 
in the front rank of the Pioneers of the Golden State. After founding the first mission of 
California at San Diego, the brave missionaries pushed on toward Monterey. When they 



ADDRESS OF JAMES I. BOLAMD. 281 

reached that pert and looked out over the waters of the bay, in search of which they had come 
so far, they failed to recognize it, and passed on wondering where it was. In pursuing the 
search from the summit of the hills, they beheld a great inland sea stretching as far as 
the eye could reach, and thus it was while searching for the port of Monterey that European 
eyes first beheld the waters of the San Francisco bay. It was a most remarkable fact 
that, notwithstanding the many voyages that had been made in its vicinity, this beautiful 
bay should remain so long undiscovered. It- seemed as if a magic veil had been drawn 
across the Golden Gate, screening the bay from the eyes of the Spanish navigators. 

"The old port of San Francisco under Point Reyes had been known to the Spaniards for 
many years. It was their intention to found the mission of Saint Francis at this port, but 
when they found they could not go to San Francisco by reason of the intervention of the 
Golden Gate, they decided that San Francisco should come to them ; and accordingly they 
transferred the name southward to the peninsula and bay that now bear the name. Several 
years afterward the Mission of San Francisco was founded on the Laguna de los Dolores, 
which site was subsequently known as ' The Willows.' But strange as it may appear that the 
existence of the bay of San Francisco was unknown for such a length of time, it was still 
more surprising that after its discovery it should remain so long unappreciated. Its discovery 
produced little or no effect, and no one seemed to realize its importance. When the news of 
the discovery of the bay reached Mexico, together with the information that Monterey had 
subsequently been identified and a settlement effected, three guns were fired, the bells were 
rung, and there was great rejoicing over Monterey, but San Francisco was almost too 
insignificant to be mentioned. 

" No sooner had the American Pioneer beheld the beautiful bay than he at once foresaw that 
it was destined to be the site of the queen city of the Pacific. After having converted thou- 
sands of natives, and founded nine missions, the missionaries of California suffered a great 
loss in the death of their illustrious leader. Few had ever labored with so much zeal for so 
long a time, or accomplished more under such adverse circumstances. After fifteen years of 
arduous labor, privation, and exposure. Father Junipero Serra felt that nature could no longer 
bear the strain, and that the hand of death was upon him. He wrote to each of his beloved 
companions, inviting those who were near by to come and visit him before he passed away, 
and bidding those who were far distant a fond farewell. He then lay down to rest, and though 
he seemed to sleep, it was the sleep that knows no waking. He was laid to rest with military 
honors, amid the tolling of bells, and the booming of cannon, but he was much more honored 
by the tears of the neophytes who came to cover his remains with flowers, by the love and 
esteem of his comrades, and by the respect and veneration of the people who crowded to look 
for the last time upon his face. After his death his companions continued the good work that 
he had so auspiciously begun. They did not rest from their labors until they had completed 
the spiritual occupation of the entire territory from San Diego to the Golden Gate. This work 
was accomplished about the time that the country was in the throes of a revolution, which 
resulted in its separation from the Spanish crown, and the establishment of a republic. This 
was soon followed by the secularization of the missions, and the emancipation of the Indians 
by the government. While it required some years to completely destroy the missions, still 
this was the beginning of the end. The law that made the Indians free simply proclaimed 
their ruin, because they did not possess the qualifications for liberty which was construed by 
them to mean the license of vagabondism. Now that they were free they would labor no 
longer, and they abandoned the missions, and wandered off to the mountains. Their flocks 
and their herds soon perished from neglect, and their vineyards, their orchards, and their fields 



282 PIOJfEEBS OF '49. 

of golden grain were bowed down with sorrow. The stroke of a pen swept away the results of 
the many years of labor of the missionaries, and desolation usurped the throne of industry. 
The officials who were intrusted by the government with the administration of the properties 
of the missions simply enriched themselves, and the poor Indians for whose interest the gov- 
ernment professed to act in secularizing the missions, were left a naked band of homeless wan- 
derers. Although the object of the secularization was to transform the missions into pueblos, 
still they were never organized as such, and thereafter they occupied the anomalous position 
of being neither mission nor pueblo. When the government beheld the ruin that followed its 
policy of secularization, it attempted to restore the missions to their former condition, and 
ordered them to be again transferred to the missionaries. But the day of their glory had 
passed, their spirits had been crushed out, and it was impossible to restore life to the inani- 
mate body. The power that gave the death blow to the missions did not survive them long. 
It had come with the missions, and it had been decreed that it should go with them. 

"A new civilization was at last approaching from the land of the rising sun. Its repre- 
sentatives did not advance as their predecessors had done, by the power of the cross and the 
glory of the sword. They came slowly and silently, as weary and solitary wanderers in 
search of hospitality. The trapper and trader and the mariner came from every clime. 
Bands of restless frontier settlers appeared like magic across the borders. Beyond the moun- 
tains could be heard the firm and measured tread of the early Pioneers, who were the advance 
guard of the army of the American people on its triumphant march to the grand Pacific. 
They poured through the narrow defiles of the mountains in ever-increasing streams, at the 
sight of which a cry of alarm went up from the Mexican authorities. Although the strangers 
extended the hand of friendship, and came with words of peace upon their lips, yet the 
government could not forget that the Americans had crossed the Texan borders with the 
same friendly professions, and yet in a short space of time they had unfurled the banner of 
independence. 

" The stream of emigration converged to a point on the frontier where John A. Sutter, the 
potentate of the Sacramento, held undisputed sway. He was one of the most prominent 
foreigners of those early days. He had been admitted to citizenship, was appointed a repre- 
sentative of the government, and had been intrusted with the administration of justice in the 
so-called frontier of the Sacramento. Still he was not over-enthusiastic in the maintenance of 
the integrity of the Mexican territory. He soon perceived that it was to his interest to 
welcome rather than to repel the newcomers. It was evident that they were destined in a 
short time to become the rulers of the country, and therefore their friendship was much more 
desirable than their enmity. The existence of his establishment was a great boon to the early 
Pioneers, who were always warmly welcomed and kindly treated at Sutter's Fort. 

"War was imminent between Mexico and the United States by reason of the annexation of 
Texas when John C. Fremont appeared in California. Suddenly a revolt of the American 
settlers of the Sacramento and Napa valleys broke out owing to the presence and co-operation 
of that officer. The town of Sonoma was seized, several leading Californians were captured, 
the country was declared independent, the Mexican flag was hauled down and the Bear flag of 
the California republic was raised in its place. The revolutionists were not aware that war 
had previously been declared by the United States against Mexico. Very soon afterward the 
news reached Sonoma that Commodore Sloat had raised the American flag at Monterey. The 
Bear flag was hauled down and the Stars and Stripes run up in its place and the revolution 
was at an end. The American flag was soon waving: over Yerba Buena and the San Francisco 
bay and throughout the country to the north of it, from Bodega on the ocean coast to Sutter's 



ADDBESS OF JAMES I. BOLAMD. 



283 



Fort on the Sacramento. The banner of the free was carried in triumph to the south and at 
last floated victorious!}' over the Mexican capital. 

" Almost contemporaneously with the treaty of peace and the transfer of California to the 
United States the attention of the entire world was suddenly attracted to the Golden Gate. 
Among the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, a sliort distance up the south Ijranch of the Amer- 
ican River, there was a beautiful vale called Coloma. Tlie solitude of the valley was never 
disturbed, save when the Indian, weary from the chase, sought repose upon the banks of the 
stream by which it was watered. At last the axe and the rifle of the stranger awakened the 
echoes, and the charred remains of the kings of the forest proclaimed that the sawmill men 
had come. It was here one morning that a woodman stood gazing intently into the tail race 
■of his mill. His eyes were fixed upon a number of brilliant yellow particles glittering beneath 
the surface. The waters of that mountain stream had laid bare the bosom of the Sierra and 
exposed to view the secret that had been hidden there so long. This man was James W. 
JVIarsliall, and he had discovered gold. The name of California was soon in every mouth. 




• »v .•:,■ i'.-*'^-'^ 



"'-i.i'i. 



SAN FRANCISCO - 



1849. 



The peace and quiet of millions of hearts all over the world were disturbed. Families were 
torn asunder, and men bent on a desperate struggle witli fickle fortune left sorrowing mothers, 
wives and children. Some were successful, but many sunk by the roadside into nameless 
graves. The revelations of the little vale of Coloma stirred the world to its centre, and the 
thirst for gold directed a human tide from all parts of the globe through the Golden Gate, and 
sent hundreds of caravans over the plains and the mountains. It was fortunate for California 
that the large majority of these gold-seekers were Americans, imbued with American princi- 
ples, and included some of the brightest minds and choicest men of every section of the 
Union. These were the men that amalgamated and combined to lay the foundation of the 
commonwealth and to initiate the Golden State upon its career of progress. California, the 
fair Queen of the Pacific, clad in her golden robes of freedom, now stood upon the threshold 



284 PIO.YEEES OF '49. 

of the Union and requested that she might enter. Despite her loveliness and grace she found 
a house divided against itself on her account. 

"But notwithstanding the trying ordeal through which she passed, she carried herself witl> 
all the dignity becoming her noble station, and steadfastly upheld the honor and unity of the 
nation. Although she awoke deep and turbulent passions, and whilst dark and threatening- 
clouds gathered about her head, still she pushed on unflinchingly to her destiny, and emerged 
from the storm more beautiful than ever into the sunlight of the American Union. Ever since 
the day of her initiation into this republic, the brave Pioneers who laid the foundation of the 
Golden State have directed her course onward and upward, and to-day no star shines brighter 
upon the flag of the free. 

" In the evening of life well may the Pioneers look with pride upon the beautiful structure 
that they have reared toward the heavens. Ripe in years and rich in honors the Pioneers 
bequeath to a new generation the golden result of their labors. May the son prove worthy of 
the trust reposed in him by the father. ]\Iay he ever defend the honor of the Golden State 
and transmit it to posterity as pure and spotless as it was upon the day that he received it 
from the hands of his father. 

" May the God of nations watch over this fair land. May he protect it from all danger. 
May he guide its sons in the path of rectitude, and forever preserve to it the blessings of 

peace and of freedom." 

************ 

" After the members of the Society of California Pioneers passed into Fourth street, from 
Market, those who had bravely walked over the cobbles and the others who had occupied seats 
in carriages, about 300 in number, filed from the line into Pioneer place and disbanded as- 
quickly as possible. The lower hall was decorated with flags, banners and shields, but the 
main attraction was eight long tables, on which were cold meats, salads, sandwiches, and light 
California wines. The Pioneers were there in much greater strength than in the procession 
and relatives were there by the hundred. 

" After its weary march through the streets, the Exempt Fire Company celebrated the 
fortieth anniversary of the Volunteer Fire Department at the banquet hall in the second story 
of the company's house, on Brenham place. As soon as night fell, thousands took their way 
to the vicinity of Sixteenth and Folsom streets, where a display of fireworks had been, 
announced. The hills in the vicinity were covered with crowds, while every roof and other 
point from which a view could be obtained was occupied with its quota. The night, like the 
day, was perfect, and the fireworks were set off without a hitch and with the most perfect 
satisfaction to the thousands who witnessed them. 

"The greatest social event of the five days' celebration took place in the evening, when the 
grand ball was given at the Pavilion. The sons and daughters of California were in their 
bravest attire, and looked their handsomest, making the Pavilion a scene of beauty long \o 
be remembered. Some of the Parlors gave balls and receptions in the evening independently 
of the event at the Pavilion." 

The day was generally observed throughout the State. I close with the Chronicle's editorial 
of September 10: — 

"Yesterday will live in the annals of California so long as this grand and beautiful State of 
ours shall hold its place as one of the bright stars in the constellation of the American Union. 
Children will live to tell their grandchildren of the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of 
the admission of California, and though some who saw yesterday's festivities may live to see 
the State's centennial, the celebration of yesterday will not suffer by the contrast. 



a:n' editorial, September lo, 1890. 285 

" Now tliat the parade of the Native Sons of tlie Golden West is over, let us take breath a 
moment and consider what it was all about. While the enthusiasm of the moment was upon 
us, while music filled our ears and the gleam of waving banners and the rainbow of brilliant 
colors intoxicated our senses, it was not easy to reach a correct conclusion or form a delicate 
judgment. We knew, of course, that the institution of tiie order of the Native Sons meant 
something, but we hardly stopped to ask ourselves what it was. 

"The simple fact of one being born in one State or another is in itself an insufificient 
foundation for the creation of an order which shall have any permanency. Obviously, in a 
few years at most, all the citizens of California, roughly speaking, will be native sons, and 
then the seeming object of the order will be gone. 

" There is, however, an underlying sentiment which justifies the formation of the order, and 
to which it must look for its preservation. It is not easy to formulate this sentiment, but it 
may be phrased in some such way as this: California is indebted for her admission into the 
Union to the pioneers and argonauts, the men of '49, who created a commonwealth under 
adverse and discouraging conditions. To testify to their appreciation of the services of these 
patriarchs of the commonwealth, and to pledge the fidelity of the present generation to the 
maintenance of that commonwealth, and its adherence to the principles of libert}-, freedom, 
ecjual rights, and loyalty to the Union on which it was founded, is the fundamental idea of the 
Native Sons of the Golden West. 

This was what the gorgeous spectacle of yesterday meant, and this was the feeling that actu- 
ated the marching thousands. The Native Sons might well adopt as their motto the third 
section of Article i of the State Constitution, which declares that "the State of California is 
an inseparable part of the American Union, and the Constitution of the United States is the 
supreme law of the land," for it was this principle which was testified to yesterday, and which 
justifies and makes praiseworthy the order of the Native Sons. 

" For these reasons we may well remember yesterday as a glorious da}'. It w^as typical of 
the loyalty of California to the Union, and a pledge of the devotion of her sons to the great 
idea of nationality. In no sense was it sectional or narrow, for every California boy who 
marched in the ranks would spring to the call of duty were his country threatened by foes 
without or foes within. What the fathers built, the sons will maintain; and woe to the 
impious hand which shall seek to loose the ties which bind California to the greatest and 
most glorious country on earth — the United States of America.'' 




286 PIOMEERS OF '49. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

SURPRISE PARTY AND REUNION. 

" Friends and old companions dear, tho' far, far away, 
In our dreams you oft appear, tlio' far, far away ! 
Think not we can e'er forget the pleasant hours when last we met, 
For oh ! dear friends, we love you yet, tho' far, far away!" 

ON Friday evening, Feb. 13, 1891, a party of ladies and gentlemen called upon Rev. P. M. 
Alacdonald, pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Boston, arriving at eight 
o'clock, as nearly as possible in a body, totally without his previous knowledge of their inten- 
tions. The //'tvvjA/ contained the following, the next morning: — 

" They were friends who were first brought together in close companionship last April, dur- 
ing the excursion to the Pacific coast under the auspices of the Society of California Pioneers 
of New England. This trip was a great moulder of friendships. 

'"A year ago,' said one of the ladies last evening, 'we were strangers to one another, and 
now we are like brothers and sisters, members of one family.' 

" The party was the first social gathering of the California excursionists since their return last 
spring. It was brought about chiefly through the efforts of Mr. E. B. Wadsworth, Mrs. H. N. 
Rowell, Mrs. David Hall, and Miss Nellie McAvoy. 

" In order that the gentleman who was the willing victim of their hospitality might not be 
caught quite unprepared, his brother. Dr. A. Macdonald, was let into the secret and became 
an accomplice of the ladies. 

"The residence of Rev. Dr. Macdonald is at 124 West Concord street. The ringleaders 
were the first to demand admittance to his astonished household last night, and they were 
followed in a few minutes by the others. 

"Out of 6o persons invited to take part in the surprise, about 40 responded in person. 
Some of those who could not attend wrote pleasant letters, expressing friendship for Rev. Dr. 
Macdonald and the Society of Pioneers, and contributed to the purchase of a magnificent 
basket of flowers, inscribed '49,' to beautify and sweeten the pastor's home. 

"A collation was served during the evening from the stores of good things brought with 
them by the guests. The ladies furnished the cake, and the men did the rest. 

"Music was provided by Mrs. B. F. Harriman, wife of Judge Harriman of Wellfleet, who 
accompanied her to the party, Miss Gertrude Stetson of Charlestown, and Mr. E. S. Binford of 
Pawtucket, R. I. 

" The promoters of the party were delighted to have with them Hon. Frederick Pease of 
East Boston, and Capt. E. D. Wadsworth of Milton, president and secretarj-, respectively, of 
the Society of California Pioneers of New England. 

"Among the other persons present were, Capt. and Mrs. David Hall, Mr. and Mrs. C. H. 
Fifield of Salem, Mr. and Mrs. D. S. Boynton of Lynn, Mr. Wm. H. Browne, Mr. and Mrs. 
J. D. McAvoy, Mr. Frank Hammond of Clinton, and Mr. W. B. Fisher of New Bedford." 



THE FIRST AMJ^IVERSARY. 287 

On Friday evening, April lo, 1891, there assembled, by invitation, at the elegant residence 
o£ Mr. and Mrs. William H. Browne, 433 Beacon street, Boston, more than 100 members 
of our excursion party of the year before. Nearly all the gray heads were present, including 
the president and the secretary of 1890 and of 1891. " Patriarch Browne " looked and acted 
like a man in the early prime of life, so far as one could judge from his sturdy form, flashing 
eye, ringing laugh, distinct voice, and quick motions, — nothing but the snow-white locks told 
the story of the many winters through which he has passed. It was difficult, too, to believe 
that his wife has passed the allotted limit of life. And, indeed, although in lesser degree, 
every forty-niner present was a good example of early vigor retained at an age at which we 
are accustomed to see men and women begin to grow old in appearance and actions as well 
as in years. 

Letters of regret were read from Governor William Russell and others unable to be 
present, after which Hon. B. F. Whittemore read a long original poem, replete with sym- 
pathetic feeling and telling points. I give the opening and concluding stanzas. 

"Good friends, occasions such as this keep recollections green ; 
And, if we would, from bygone days, our thoughts or longings wean, 
We could not, for the outstretched hand calls back the memories sweet, 
So full of life and incident, with happiness replete, 
Of things we saw while traversing the continent so wide, 
One year ago. How time flies on ! yet do we not with pride 
Refer to what we then enjoyed, and tell the story o'er 
Of how we journeyed from ' the Hub ' to California's shore ? 
Of what ovations we received, the generous welcomes, too, 
Where'er we came as on we went to greetings warm and new.? 



One other word before I close, this meeting tells me, too, 

How on our pilgrimage were formed sweet friendships strong and true; 

More lasting, yes, than are the sweets of orchards or of vines, 

More precious, far, than all the wealth of rivers or of mines. 

And our good friend who bids us here, this anniversary eve, 

Will find that all the friends he made will ever to him cleave. 

His silver locks, and stalwart form, his gracious, manly mien, 

Will in our memories be kept, forever fresh and green. 

God bless the men of '49, and keep them in his charge ! 

God bless each one who went with them, and may the ties enlarge 

That bind us in this social bond, and as we travel o'er 

The continent of coming years toward the Golden Shore, 

Oh, may the friendships here begun, continue without end, 

And may we on the other side, rejoice as friend with friend." 

The Pioneer chorus was then sung, to the tune of " Beulah Land," as at San Bernardino, 
the following new stanza being added : — 

"So let us now while gathered here, 
To celebrate a passing year. 
In memory our friends enshrine. 
Who gave us corn, and oil, and wine." 



288 PIOMEERS OF '49. 

Hon. Henry B. Metcalf told of receiving a bouquet of flowers at San Bernardino, bearing a 
card on which was written the name, " Louis Rochet." Mr. Metcalf said he had made the 
acquaintance of the young man bv mail, and read an interesting letter from him, and added 
that he wished others of the party could have enjoyed a similar experience. No one replied, 
but the smiles on nearly a dozen countenances showed that we were not all devoid of experi- 
ence in the same line. 

Rev. L. B. Hatch made a happy address, saying among other things that, if the young man 
who gave Mr. Metcalf a bouquet should ever wish to marry the young lady who found Mr. 
Whittemore's ring, he would be only too glad to officiate at the wedding. 

Piano selections by Mr. C. S. Johnson, and harp solos by Mr. Rogers were features of the 
reunion. The collation, and a royal one it was, was followed by all signing a letter to Louis 
Rochet ; and soon the company dispersed, bearing many pleasant recollections in their hearts, 
and hoping that the strong fraternal feeling now existing in the Society of California Pioneers 
of New England may tend to bring and keep us together in a journey to a country wherein 
even the streets are paved with gold. 

One of the poems of Edna Dean Proctor is an appropriate valedictory for " The Pioneers of 

49 ; — 

The winds that once the Argo bore have died by Neptune's ruined shrines, 

And her hull is the drift of the deep sea floor, though shaped of Pelion's tallest pines. 

You may seek her crew in every isle, fair in the foam of /Egean seas. 

But out of their sleep no charm can wile Jason and Orpheus and Hercules. 

And Priam's voice is heard no more by windy Ilium's sea-built walls ; 
From the washing wave and the lonely shore no wail goes up as Hector falls. 
On Ida's mount is the shining snow, but Jove has gone from its brow away, 
And red on the plain the poppies grow, where Greek and Trojan fought that day. 

Mother Earth ! Are thy heroes dead ? Do they thrill the soul of the years no more ? 
Are the gleaming snows and the poppies red all that is left of the brave of yore } 
Are there none to fight as Theseus fought, far in the young world's misty dawn } 
Or teach as the gray-haired Nestor taught ? Mother Earth ! are thy heroes gone .' 

Gone? In a nobler form they rise. Dead ? We may clasp their hands in ours, 

And catch the light of their glorious eyes, and wreathe their brows with immortal flowers. 

Wherever a noble deed is done, there are the souls of our heroes stirred ; 

Wherever a field for truth is won, there are our heroes' voices heard. 

Their armor rings on a fairer field than Greek or Trojan ever trod, 

For Freedom's sword is the blade they wield, and the light above them the smile of God ! 

So, in his isle of calm delight, Jason may dream the years away, 

But the heroes live, and the skies are bright, and the world is a braver world to-dav. 



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